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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: mug · nail · bulb · season · bound · straw · rule · march

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. march — music
  5. bulb — for light
  6. mug — to rob
  7. march — the month
  8. season — of the year
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. season — in sport
  12. bulb — for light
  13. rule — government
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. rule — a law
  17. bound — obliged
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. bound — tied together
  20. mug — a cup
  21. march — the month
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. mug — a face

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