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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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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: game · trunk · charge · mouse · bound · band · pound · ground

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. game — wild animals
  3. bound — obliged
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. charge — a price
  6. band — a ring
  7. ground — the earth
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. band — a music group
  11. bound — certain
  12. ground — a position
  13. charge — electricity
  14. game — a match
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. bound — tied together
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. charge — in control
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. pound — a weight
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. ground — crushed

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