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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: hide · current · pop · content · trunk · club · cap · bound

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. current — happening now
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. bound — certain
  6. pop — soda
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. club — for golf
  9. club — a group
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. bound — obliged
  13. cap — a hat
  14. cap — of ice
  15. pop — music
  16. current — electric
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. content — happy
  19. content — the amount
  20. club — for dancing
  21. pop — to visit
  22. current — of water
  23. bound — tied together
  24. cap — a lid

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