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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: hide · suit · squash · trunk · bear · bound · row · pop

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. row — a line
  3. bound — certain
  4. suit — to fit
  5. bear — the animal
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. pop — soda
  8. suit — clothes
  9. squash — to crush
  10. suit — in cards
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. squash — the sport
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. bear — the animal
  16. pop — music
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. bound — tied together
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. pop — to visit
  24. row — to paddle

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