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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. board — a committee
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. march — the month
  7. march — the month
  8. snap — to click
  9. board — to get on
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. bound — tied together
  12. rash — hasty
  13. bound — certain
  14. bound — obliged
  15. bulb — for light
  16. spring — a coil
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. spring — the season
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. spring — of water
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. march — music
  24. bulb — for light

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