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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: bound · march · lash · bore · date · kid · bear · pop

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. kid — to tease
  3. march — the month
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. bound — certain
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. bound — obliged
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. date — the fruit
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. pop — soda
  12. bore — to drill
  13. march — music
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. bound — tied together
  17. march — the month
  18. kid — child
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. bore — to tire
  21. pop — to visit
  22. pop — music
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bore — gave birth

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