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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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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: snap · bank · rash · trunk · bound · mug · bulb · squash

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bank — for money
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. bound — tied together
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. bank — for money
  10. squash — to crush
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. bound — certain
  13. mug — to rob
  14. bound — obliged
  15. rash — a series
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. mug — a cup
  18. rash — hasty
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. squash — the sport
  21. bulb — for light
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. bank — of a river
  24. mug — a face

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