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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 116 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: pop · swing · march · firm · object · capital · land · bear

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. land — a country
  3. bear — the animal
  4. land — ground
  5. swing — to play on
  6. march — the month
  7. capital — a city
  8. swing — music
  9. pop — soda
  10. pop — to visit
  11. firm — decided
  12. swing — in golf
  13. bear — the animal
  14. firm — a company
  15. object — an aim
  16. march — music
  17. pop — music
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. march — the month
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. capital — money
  22. object — to protest
  23. object — a thing
  24. firm — steady

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