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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: wound · cell · bound · tube · bass · trunk · land · deal

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. bound — certain
  3. tube — a container
  4. bound — obliged
  5. tube — the underground
  6. bound — tied together
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. land — to come down
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. wound — an injury
  13. deal — to handle
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. bass — the fish
  16. cell — in biology
  17. land — a country
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. land — ground
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. wound — an injury
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. cell — a phone
  24. bass — low music

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