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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: mine · bound · lie · cue · bulb · calf · march · bear

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. mine — for digging
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. march — the month
  6. march — music
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bound — tied together
  12. bound — obliged
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. lie — to recline
  16. cue — a hint
  17. march — the month
  18. cue — a signal
  19. bulb — for light
  20. cue — for pool
  21. bulb — for light
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. bear — the animal
  24. mine — an explosive

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