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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. craft — boats
  3. present — there
  4. present — a gift
  5. prune — to trim
  6. race — the arms race
  7. row — to paddle
  8. press — newspapers
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. prune — to trim
  11. race — a contest
  12. march — the month
  13. press — to push
  14. present — the time now
  15. march — the month
  16. craft — a skill
  17. race — humankind
  18. bound — certain
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. march — music
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bound — obliged
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. press — a publisher

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