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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. sharp — clever
  3. spring — a coil
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. prune — to trim
  7. mug — a face
  8. prune — to trim
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bound — certain
  12. staff — employees
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. staff — a stick
  16. mug — to rob
  17. march — the month
  18. mug — a cup
  19. bound — obliged
  20. march — music
  21. staff — employees
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. spring — the season
  24. spring — of water

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