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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. bound — obliged
  3. mine — for digging
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. can — a tin
  6. march — the month
  7. can — to be able to
  8. lean — thin
  9. race — humankind
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. tear — from crying
  12. lean — to bend
  13. bound — tied together
  14. bound — certain
  15. race — the arms race
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. can — a tin
  18. race — a contest
  19. tear — from crying
  20. march — music
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. tear — to rip
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. bark — to shout

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