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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 120 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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. bound — certain
  3. land — ground
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. bound — obliged
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. bound — tied together
  8. last — to go on
  9. land — a country
  10. last — final
  11. bore — to drill
  12. season — in sport
  13. last — finally
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. march — the month
  16. bore — to tire
  17. land — to come down
  18. lean — thin
  19. march — music
  20. rash — a series
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. march — the month
  23. rash — hasty
  24. season — of the year

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