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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 116 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: bass · kick · rock · bound · trunk · leaves · cell · hide

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. cell — in biology
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. bass — the fish
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. cell — a phone
  10. bound — obliged
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. bound — certain
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. kick — in football
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. bass — low music
  22. rock — a stone
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. bound — tied together

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