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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: mug · coach · trunk · bound · hand · clip · hide · bear

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. mug — a face
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. bound — obliged
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. bear — the animal
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. bear — the animal
  9. hand — in cards
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. mug — a cup
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. hand — help
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. bound — tied together
  19. clip — for paper
  20. clip — to cut
  21. clip — a video
  22. mug — to rob
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. bound — certain

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