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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bear · march · tear · drill · temple · board · spring · mate

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. spring — the season
  5. mate — a friend
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. mate — to breed
  9. march — the month
  10. board — to get on
  11. march — the month
  12. drill — army training
  13. spring — a coil
  14. drill — the tool
  15. bear — the animal
  16. spring — of water
  17. drill — a practice
  18. bear — the animal
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tear — from crying
  22. march — music
  23. tear — to rip
  24. mate — a partner

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