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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've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. band — a ring
  3. press — newspapers
  4. march — the month
  5. kid — child
  6. cell — in biology
  7. bound — obliged
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. march — music
  10. bear — the animal
  11. press — to push
  12. press — a publisher
  13. bore — to tire
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. kid — to tease
  17. bear — the animal
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. bore — to drill
  20. march — the month
  21. bound — certain
  22. band — a music group
  23. bound — tied together
  24. cell — a phone

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