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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: scale · deal · bound · bat · mark · firm · trunk · wound

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. firm — steady
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. mark — a trace
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. mark — a grade
  8. wound — an injury
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. firm — a company
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. bound — tied together
  13. bound — certain
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. scale — in music
  16. deal — to handle
  17. bat — the animal
  18. firm — decided
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. scale — size or range
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. wound — an injury
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. deal — an agreement

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