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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: rash · spring · rock · trunk · squash · dip · bound · land

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. rock — a stone
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. rock — music
  6. rash — a series
  7. bound — obliged
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. bound — certain
  10. bound — tied together
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. squash — the sport
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. squash — to crush
  15. spring — of water
  16. rash — hasty
  17. land — ground
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. land — to come down
  20. spring — the season
  21. land — a country
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. spring — a coil

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