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

Word bank: board · march · bulb · tear · face · date · bound · stand

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. march — the month
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. board — a committee
  9. face — part of the head
  10. tear — from crying
  11. bound — obliged
  12. bulb — for light
  13. face — to point toward
  14. march — music
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. board — to get on
  17. face — to confront
  18. date — the fruit
  19. tear — to rip
  20. bound — tied together
  21. march — the month
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. stand — to bear
  24. bound — certain

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