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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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. bank — for money
  3. root — of a plant
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. march — the month
  7. root — the cause
  8. bound — obliged
  9. tear — to rip
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. tear — from crying
  12. root — of a word
  13. bound — certain
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bank — of a river
  16. bass — low music
  17. bank — for money
  18. march — the month
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. march — music
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. tear — from crying
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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