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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · squash · arm · key · rest · court · bound · band

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rest — what's left
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. court — for sport
  5. court — of a king
  6. bound — obliged
  7. bound — certain
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. band — a ring
  12. key — in music
  13. key — the most important part
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. squash — to crush
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. bound — tied together
  20. key — for a lock
  21. squash — the sport
  22. band — a music group
  23. rest — a break
  24. court — of law

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