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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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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: current · march · arm · leaves · trunk · deal · bat · bound

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. bound — tied together
  3. bound — obliged
  4. march — the month
  5. deal — to handle
  6. current — of water
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. current — electric
  9. march — music
  10. bat — the animal
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. bound — certain
  15. current — happening now
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. march — the month
  24. bat — for baseball

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