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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — music
  3. bound — tied together
  4. file — a line of people
  5. root — the cause
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bulb — for light
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bulb — for light
  11. file — a tool
  12. march — the month
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. root — of a plant
  16. stand — to bear
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. bound — certain
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. wind — moving air
  22. file — a document
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. root — of a word

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