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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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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: wake · cap · trunk · race · leaves · sharp · content · bound

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. cap — a lid
  6. race — a contest
  7. cap — a hat
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. cap — of ice
  10. bound — certain
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. race — the arms race
  16. sharp — clever
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. content — the amount
  19. bound — obliged
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. content — happy
  23. race — humankind
  24. wake — a trail

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