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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 · content · wake · bound · game · dip · scale · mine

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. wake — a trail
  8. scale — in music
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. scale — size or range
  11. bound — obliged
  12. game — a match
  13. mine — for digging
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. content — the amount
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. bound — certain
  19. bound — tied together
  20. game — wild animals
  21. dip — to sink
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. content — happy

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