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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
468
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: last · land · nail · stand · present · pop · march · can

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. can — a tin
  3. land — ground
  4. pop — to visit
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. can — to be able to
  7. can — a tin
  8. land — to come down
  9. march — the month
  10. march — the month
  11. pop — music
  12. march — music
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. last — final
  15. present — there
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. last — finally
  18. pop — soda
  19. last — to go on
  20. present — a gift
  21. stand — to bear
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. land — a country

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