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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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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: track · wound · squash · trunk · stick · chest · bound · can

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. bound — obliged
  3. squash — to crush
  4. wound — an injury
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. track — to keep track
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. track — a path
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. wound — an injury
  11. chest — a box
  12. bound — tied together
  13. bound — certain
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. can — a tin
  17. track — a song
  18. can — a tin
  19. squash — the sport
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — of your body
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. squash — the vegetable

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