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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: stick · sharp · spring · lie · mark · bear · march · cap

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. sharp — clever
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. cap — a hat
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. cap — of ice
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. cap — a lid
  11. spring — the season
  12. mark — a grade
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. mark — a trace
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bear — the animal
  17. march — the month
  18. lie — to recline
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. spring — of water
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. march — music
  24. spring — a coil

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