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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. bound — certain
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. chest — a box
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. march — the month
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. track — a song
  12. field — for sport
  13. chest — of your body
  14. bear — the animal
  15. field — a subject
  16. bound — tied together
  17. march — music
  18. track — a path
  19. track — to keep track
  20. bulb — for light
  21. chest — of your body
  22. field — farmland
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bound — obliged

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