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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. bank — of a river
  3. march — music
  4. field — a subject
  5. bound — certain
  6. march — the month
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. spring — a coil
  9. spring — of water
  10. kid — to tease
  11. field — for sport
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. bank — for money
  14. bound — tied together
  15. field — farmland
  16. march — the month
  17. bank — for money
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. lie — to recline
  20. bound — obliged
  21. kid — child
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. spring — the season
  24. sharp — clever

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