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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: pitcher · wake · track · chair · sharp · bound · rock · trunk

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. chair — a leader
  5. track — to keep track
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. bound — certain
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. rock — music
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. wake — a trail
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. track — a path
  20. sharp — clever
  21. bound — tied together
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. track — a song
  24. rock — a stone

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