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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: last · bay · tear · mine · lean · bound · cap · march

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. last — finally
  4. cap — a hat
  5. last — final
  6. tear — from crying
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. march — music
  9. lean — to bend
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. cap — of ice
  13. bound — tied together
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. march — the month
  16. tear — to rip
  17. tear — from crying
  18. mine — for digging
  19. cap — a lid
  20. bound — certain
  21. bound — obliged
  22. last — to go on
  23. lean — thin
  24. bay — a horse colour

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