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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: cap · toast · content · trunk · bound · key · saw · hide

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. bound — tied together
  3. cap — of ice
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. bound — obliged
  6. toast — bread
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. content — happy
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. content — the amount
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. cap — a hat
  18. cap — a lid
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. key — for a lock
  21. saw — the tool
  22. key — the most important part
  23. bound — certain
  24. saw — the tool

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