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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: march · court · row · bulb · jam · stand · pound · leaves

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. court — of law
  3. march — the month
  4. stand — to bear
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. court — for sport
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. march — the month
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. bulb — for light
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. bulb — for light
  16. row — a line
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. pound — a weight
  20. court — of a king
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. row — to paddle
  23. march — music
  24. leaves — to go away

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