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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 124 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: bound · root · cold · ruler · jam · pop · trunk · row

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. bound — tied together
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. root — of a plant
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. cold — not warm
  8. root — the cause
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. row — a line
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. cold — an illness
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. bound — certain
  17. row — to paddle
  18. root — of a word
  19. pop — soda
  20. pop — to visit
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. pop — music
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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