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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: wind · march · bat · chest · pound · can · ground · bulb

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. can — a tin
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. ground — a position
  7. ground — the earth
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bulb — for light
  10. march — the month
  11. ground — crushed
  12. pound — a weight
  13. chest — a box
  14. chest — of your body
  15. march — music
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. can — a tin
  18. can — to be able to
  19. bat — the animal
  20. wind — moving air
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. wind — moving air
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. chest — of your body

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