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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: arm · rush · spring · mark · march · bound · date · kid

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. bound — certain
  3. bound — tied together
  4. mark — a trace
  5. march — music
  6. bound — obliged
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. spring — the season
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. kid — child
  14. spring — a coil
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. date — the fruit
  18. spring — of water
  19. march — the month
  20. march — the month
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. mark — a grade
  23. kid — to tease
  24. rush — hurry

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