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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. can — a tin
  3. bound — obliged
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. bark — to shout
  6. can — to be able to
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bound — tied together
  10. march — the month
  11. march — music
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. march — the month
  15. bound — certain
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. capital — money
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. can — a tin
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. capital — a city
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. mine — for digging
  24. patient — a sick person

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