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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: bear · mark · bank · march · temple · wind · court · pound

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. court — of law
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. court — for sport
  6. march — the month
  7. pound — a weight
  8. wind — moving air
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. bank — for money
  13. march — music
  14. court — of a king
  15. bear — the animal
  16. mark — a grade
  17. bank — of a river
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. mark — a trace
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bear — the animal
  22. march — the month
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. bank — for money

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