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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: hand · pitcher · present · bound · pound · tube · staff · trunk

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. bound — obliged
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. staff — employees
  6. bound — certain
  7. tube — a container
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. tube — the underground
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. hand — in cards
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. present — a gift
  15. bound — tied together
  16. hand — help
  17. present — the time now
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. staff — employees
  20. present — there
  21. pound — a weight
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. staff — a stick

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