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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. can — a tin
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. march — music
  6. can — a tin
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. bear — the animal
  9. mine — for digging
  10. cell — a phone
  11. file — a document
  12. file — a tool
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bound — certain
  15. cell — in biology
  16. can — to be able to
  17. craft — boats
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. march — the month
  21. march — the month
  22. file — a line of people
  23. craft — a skill
  24. bound — tied together

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