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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 are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. march — music
  5. cell — in biology
  6. march — the month
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. wound — an injury
  11. date — the fruit
  12. wound — an injury
  13. march — the month
  14. cell — a phone
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. bound — certain
  20. bound — tied together
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. plane — a tool
  24. lash — an eyelash

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