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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 116 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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. drill — a practice
  3. bound — certain
  4. bear — the animal
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. row — to paddle
  7. drill — the tool
  8. march — music
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. drill — army training
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bear — the animal
  14. lie — to recline
  15. march — the month
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. row — a line
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. stem — to come from
  24. bound — tied together

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