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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: foot · wave · bound · straw · squash · kick · trunk · stand

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. squash — the sport
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. stand — to bear
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. bound — tied together
  18. kick — in football
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. foot — a measure
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. bound — certain
  23. squash — to crush
  24. foot — part of the body

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