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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: face · pop · march · club · race · lean · stand · bulb

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. march — the month
  3. race — humankind
  4. pop — to visit
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. face — to point toward
  7. face — to confront
  8. lean — to bend
  9. pop — music
  10. bulb — for light
  11. race — a contest
  12. bulb — for light
  13. race — the arms race
  14. face — part of the head
  15. march — the month
  16. club — for dancing
  17. stand — to bear
  18. club — for golf
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. march — music
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. lean — thin
  24. club — a group

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