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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 120 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 · bank · bound · patient · squash · rush · chest · perch

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. squash — the sport
  3. rush — hurry
  4. bound — obliged
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. chest — of your body
  7. squash — to crush
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. chest — a box
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. bank — for money
  15. bank — of a river
  16. bank — for money
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. bound — certain
  21. bound — tied together
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. chest — of your body
  24. perch — the fish

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