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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: arm · stick · jam · bound · march · bore · shower · mine

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. mine — for digging
  3. bore — to tire
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. bound — obliged
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. bound — tied together
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. march — music
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. shower — to wash
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. march — the month
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. shower — rain
  20. bore — to drill
  21. march — the month
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. bound — certain

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