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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. lie — to recline
  4. bound — certain
  5. bat — the animal
  6. last — finally
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. march — the month
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. march — music
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. spring — the season
  14. spring — a coil
  15. pass — a permit
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. last — to go on
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. bound — obliged
  20. last — final
  21. wax — to grow
  22. bound — tied together
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. march — the month

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