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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 have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. bound — obliged
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. march — music
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. fall — to drop
  10. bound — certain
  11. craft — a skill
  12. march — the month
  13. branch — a division
  14. fall — the season
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. craft — boats
  17. fork — in a road
  18. fall — to drop
  19. bound — tied together
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. march — the month
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. hide — animal skin

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