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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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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: club · spring · march · stick · pound · tear

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. spring — the season
  3. tear — from crying
  4. march — the month
  5. spring — of water
  6. spring — a coil
  7. club — a group
  8. pound — a weight
  9. tear — from crying
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. club — for golf
  13. club — for dancing
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. march — the month
  16. march — music
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. tear — to rip

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