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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: march · field · stand · mouse · pound · club · bay · row

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. field — for sport
  4. club — a group
  5. march — music
  6. club — for dancing
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. row — to paddle
  9. row — a line
  10. club — for golf
  11. pound — a weight
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. march — the month
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. field — a subject
  22. field — farmland
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. march — the month

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