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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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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: bound · trunk · wave · root · squash · pitch · hand · spell

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. bound — tied together
  4. hand — help
  5. bound — obliged
  6. pitch — completely
  7. bound — certain
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. squash — the sport
  11. spell — a short time
  12. root — of a word
  13. hand — in cards
  14. squash — to crush
  15. root — of a plant
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. root — the cause
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. spell — letters
  23. spell — magic
  24. wave — of the sea

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