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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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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: season · mouse · hand · track · bay · trunk · rest · bound

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. bound — obliged
  4. track — a path
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. track — to keep track
  7. bound — tied together
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. rest — a break
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. bound — certain
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. season — of the year
  16. rest — what's left
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. rest — what's left
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. hand — help
  21. track — a song
  22. season — in sport
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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