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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
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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: field · ground · bound · march · staff · bear · bass · jam

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bear — the animal
  4. march — the month
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. march — music
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. ground — a position
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. staff — a stick
  11. staff — employees
  12. field — farmland
  13. march — the month
  14. bound — obliged
  15. field — for sport
  16. ground — crushed
  17. field — a subject
  18. bound — tied together
  19. bass — low music
  20. ground — the earth
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. staff — employees
  24. bass — the fish

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