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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: saw · prune · bank · bound · cold · game · trunk · hide

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. bound — tied together
  3. bank — for money
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. cold — an illness
  6. bank — for money
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. bound — obliged
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. bound — certain
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. saw — the tool
  18. prune — to trim
  19. game — a match
  20. saw — the tool
  21. bank — of a river
  22. cold — not warm
  23. prune — to trim
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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