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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. season — of the year
  3. club — for golf
  4. march — the month
  5. face — to confront
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. bound — obliged
  8. club — for dancing
  9. face — part of the head
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bound — certain
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. face — to point toward
  14. branch — a division
  15. club — a group
  16. march — music
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. season — in sport

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