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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 124 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 cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. prune — to trim
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. bound — obliged
  5. bear — the animal
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. lean — to bend
  8. bound — certain
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. prune — to trim
  12. game — wild animals
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. lean — thin
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bear — the animal
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. game — a match
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. march — music
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. lean — to rest against
  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