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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 120 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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. bound — obliged
  3. pop — music
  4. bound — tied together
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. pop — soda
  7. staff — a stick
  8. march — the month
  9. snap — to click
  10. staff — employees
  11. march — the month
  12. fall — to drop
  13. march — music
  14. mine — for digging
  15. fall — the season
  16. staff — employees
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. fall — to drop
  19. wax — to grow
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. bound — certain
  24. pop — to visit

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