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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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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: pound · straw · march · ruler · spring · leaves · pass · present

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. present — there
  3. spring — a coil
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. pound — a weight
  6. march — the month
  7. present — the time now
  8. spring — the season
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. march — the month
  11. pass — a permit
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. spring — of water
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. march — music
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. pass — to spend time

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