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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 116 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: trunk · spell · rest · game · tear · pound · bound · deal

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. tear — from crying
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. bound — obliged
  8. game — a match
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. bound — certain
  11. tear — from crying
  12. spell — magic
  13. deal — to handle
  14. spell — letters
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rest — a break
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. tear — to rip
  19. pound — a weight
  20. bound — tied together
  21. spell — a short time
  22. game — wild animals
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. pound — for dogs

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