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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 120 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: bulb · stand · present · chair · root · file · march · pound

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. march — the month
  4. present — the time now
  5. root — of a word
  6. present — a gift
  7. bulb — for light
  8. pound — a weight
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. file — a line of people
  11. march — the month
  12. chair — a leader
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. root — the cause
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. march — music
  18. present — there
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. file — a document
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. root — of a plant
  23. file — a tool
  24. bulb — for light

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