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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. bound — obliged
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. season — of the year
  5. hand — help
  6. wound — an injury
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. wound — an injury
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. row — to paddle
  12. root — of a plant
  13. season — in sport
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. march — the month
  16. bound — certain
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. march — music
  19. root — the cause
  20. march — the month
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. row — a line
  23. root — of a word
  24. hand — in cards

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