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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 120 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: bound · chest · bark · trunk · pop · cap · present · field

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. field — farmland
  3. present — the time now
  4. pop — soda
  5. bound — tied together
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. cap — a hat
  9. field — a subject
  10. bound — obliged
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — a box
  13. chest — of your body
  14. cap — of ice
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. present — there
  17. pop — music
  18. pop — to visit
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. bound — certain
  21. bark — to shout
  22. present — a gift
  23. field — for sport
  24. cap — a lid

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