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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: pound · stick · stand · field · pitch · bear

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. field — for sport
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. field — a subject
  9. bear — the animal
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. pitch — completely
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. bear — the animal
  14. field — farmland
  15. stand — to bear
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. pound — a weight
  18. pitch — a sports field

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