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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. march — the month
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. march — the month
  5. bound — obliged
  6. cold — an illness
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. fork — in a road
  9. cold — not warm
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. march — music
  12. fall — to drop
  13. firm — steady
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bear — the animal
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. firm — a company
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bound — certain
  21. fall — the season
  22. firm — decided
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fork — a garden tool

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