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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: stand · track · squash · bound · racket · spring · clip · trunk

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. track — to keep track
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. bound — tied together
  5. squash — the sport
  6. spring — of water
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. spring — the season
  9. bound — certain
  10. clip — to cut
  11. spring — a coil
  12. stand — to bear
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. bound — obliged
  15. clip — a video
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. track — a path
  18. track — a song
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. squash — to crush
  21. clip — for paper
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. racket — for tennis

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