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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: last · trunk · bound · cold · face · bear · snap · suit

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. last — to go on
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. suit — to fit
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bound — obliged
  8. suit — in cards
  9. cold — not warm
  10. face — part of the head
  11. snap — to click
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. cold — an illness
  14. face — to confront
  15. bound — certain
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. suit — clothes
  18. bear — the animal
  19. face — to point toward
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. last — final
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. last — finally

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