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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: march · lean · pound · bear · pop · firm · bulb · rest

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  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. bear — the animal
  2. rest — a break
  3. lean — thin
  4. march — music
  5. march — the month
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. firm — decided
  8. rest — what's left
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — for light
  11. pound — a weight
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. pop — to visit
  15. firm — a company
  16. pop — music
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. firm — steady
  19. rest — what's left
  20. lean — to bend
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. pop — soda
  23. bear — the animal
  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