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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.

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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: stem · pound · face · march · mark · content · kid · firm

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. kid — child
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. pound — a weight
  5. content — happy
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. face — to point toward
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. content — the amount
  10. firm — decided
  11. stem — to come from
  12. march — the month
  13. face — part of the head
  14. kid — to tease
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. firm — steady
  18. mark — a trace
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. mark — a grade
  22. face — to confront
  23. firm — a company
  24. march — the month

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