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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 are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. march — the month
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. bound — certain
  7. mug — a cup
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. prune — to trim
  11. pound — a weight
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. march — music
  14. bound — tied together
  15. rush — hurry
  16. mug — to rob
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. prune — to trim
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. march — the month
  22. date — the fruit
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. mug — a face

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