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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. bound — certain
  3. bound — obliged
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. march — the month
  7. root — of a word
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. root — the cause
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. degree — from a university
  12. stock — goods
  13. march — music
  14. degree — an amount
  15. spring — of water
  16. stock — shares
  17. degree — temperature
  18. bound — tied together
  19. date — the fruit
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. spring — a coil
  22. root — of a plant
  23. march — the month
  24. leaves — lets stay

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