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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. bark — to shout
  3. stand — to bear
  4. bound — certain
  5. march — the month
  6. spring — a coil
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. bound — obliged
  9. spring — of water
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. bound — tied together
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — the tool
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. tube — a container
  19. lie — to recline
  20. march — the month
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. march — music
  23. spring — the season
  24. tube — the underground

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