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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. march — music
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. bass — low music
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. fine — all right
  11. bound — obliged
  12. bank — for money
  13. bound — tied together
  14. march — the month
  15. bank — for money
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. bank — of a river
  18. wake — a trail
  19. mine — for digging
  20. fine — high quality
  21. bound — certain
  22. bass — the fish
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. calf — a young animal

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