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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 116 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: net · last · bear · bound · board · pop · rush · march

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. bound — obliged
  3. march — music
  4. pop — soda
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. board — a committee
  7. net — for catching
  8. bound — certain
  9. last — finally
  10. pop — music
  11. march — the month
  12. bear — the animal
  13. pop — to visit
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. last — final
  16. march — the month
  17. net — after costs
  18. rush — hurry
  19. last — to go on
  20. bear — the animal
  21. board — to get on
  22. net — in sport
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. bound — tied together

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