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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. bound — certain
  4. bound — tied together
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. tear — to rip
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. tear — from crying
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. march — the month
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. march — music
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. tear — from crying
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. snap — to click
  18. pound — a weight
  19. bound — obliged
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. march — the month

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