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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. drill — a practice
  4. bound — certain
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. march — the month
  8. march — the month
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. wax — to grow
  12. drill — army training
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. drill — the tool
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. march — music
  17. bound — tied together
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. stand — to bear
  20. game — a match
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. game — wild animals
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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