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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: trunk · bound · date · stick · cabinet · shower · capital · drill

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. bound — obliged
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. drill — a practice
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. shower — to wash
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. capital — money
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. drill — the tool
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. shower — rain
  16. bound — certain
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. drill — army training
  22. date — the fruit
  23. bound — tied together
  24. capital — a city

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