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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: ruler · key · capital · bound · trunk · pound · file · mouse

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. key — the most important part
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. bound — obliged
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. bound — tied together
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. file — a tool
  15. key — for a lock
  16. bound — certain
  17. file — a document
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. capital — a city
  20. capital — money
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. file — a line of people
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. pound — a weight

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