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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 · spell · arm · stick · pound · cabinet · bound · wake

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. spell — a short time
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. wake — a trail
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. pound — a weight
  11. bound — obliged
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. spell — magic
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. spell — letters
  22. bound — tied together
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. bound — certain

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