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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: scale · trunk · prune · capital · bound · pass · chest · rock

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. rock — music
  3. capital — money
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. prune — to trim
  6. pass — a permit
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. scale — size or range
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. chest — of your body
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. chest — of your body
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. bound — tied together
  17. prune — to trim
  18. scale — in music
  19. chest — a box
  20. rock — a stone
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. bound — certain
  23. capital — a city
  24. rock — to move gently

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com