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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 · last · drill · can · fan · hide · net · bound

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. can — a tin
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. bound — tied together
  8. net — after costs
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. can — to be able to
  11. bound — certain
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. net — in sport
  14. drill — army training
  15. last — final
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. last — finally
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. drill — the tool
  20. drill — a practice
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. net — for catching
  23. last — to go on
  24. can — a tin

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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