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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: trunk · wake · mate · cell · key · rock · bound · squash

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. key — the most important part
  4. wake — a trail
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. rock — music
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. mate — to breed
  9. bound — obliged
  10. rock — a stone
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. mate — a friend
  13. squash — to crush
  14. key — in music
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. mate — a partner
  17. cell — a phone
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. bound — tied together
  21. bound — certain
  22. cell — in biology
  23. squash — the sport
  24. key — for a lock

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