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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. present — the time now
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. bound — obliged
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. scale — size or range
  8. scale — in music
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. present — there
  12. mug — a face
  13. mine — for digging
  14. march — the month
  15. mug — a cup
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. march — music
  18. stem — to come from
  19. march — the month
  20. mug — to rob
  21. present — a gift
  22. bound — certain
  23. bound — tied together
  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