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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 116 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 will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. mate — to breed
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. march — music
  7. spell — a short time
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. mate — a partner
  10. spring — the season
  11. spring — of water
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. spell — magic
  15. spring — a coil
  16. bear — the animal
  17. spell — letters
  18. march — the month
  19. tear — from crying
  20. bear — the animal
  21. mate — a friend
  22. tear — from crying
  23. wind — moving air
  24. tear — to rip

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