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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 120 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: rock · key · spring · rash · ruler · chest · march · bound

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. rock — a stone
  3. march — music
  4. chest — a box
  5. bound — obliged
  6. chest — of your body
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. bound — certain
  9. chest — of your body
  10. rash — a series
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. key — the most important part
  13. spring — of water
  14. march — the month
  15. rash — hasty
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. spring — a coil
  18. key — in music
  19. key — for a lock
  20. rock — music
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. bound — tied together
  23. spring — the season
  24. rash — on the skin

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