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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mate · mouse · fall · spring · march · capital · lash · bound

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mate — a friend
  4. mate — a partner
  5. fall — to drop
  6. capital — a city
  7. bound — obliged
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. march — the month
  10. march — music
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. spring — a coil
  14. mate — to breed
  15. bound — certain
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. fall — to drop
  18. bound — tied together
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. march — the month
  21. spring — the season
  22. capital — money
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. spring — of water

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