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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: trunk · wave · stock · race · object · cap · land · bound

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  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. cap — a lid
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. bound — obliged
  4. object — a thing
  5. race — the arms race
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. cap — of ice
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. object — an aim
  10. land — ground
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. stock — shares
  15. race — humankind
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. land — a country
  18. land — to come down
  19. stock — goods
  20. bound — certain
  21. race — a contest
  22. object — to protest
  23. cap — a hat
  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