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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: perch · temple · trunk · bound · cap · stick · spring · cold

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. cap — a hat
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. cold — not warm
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. cap — a lid
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. cold — an illness
  12. bound — certain
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. spring — a coil
  16. spring — the season
  17. cap — of ice
  18. perch — the fish
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. bound — obliged
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. bound — tied together
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. spring — of water

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