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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: bat · trunk · kick · rush · bound · rock · lie · stem

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. kick — in football
  3. bat — the animal
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. bound — certain
  9. lie — to recline
  10. rock — a stone
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. rush — hurry
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. bound — tied together
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. stem — to come from
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. bound — obliged
  24. rock — music

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