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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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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: season · march · bulb · bat · pound · bound · wound · stand

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. bulb — for light
  4. season — in sport
  5. pound — a weight
  6. stand — to bear
  7. march — music
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. bulb — for light
  12. march — the month
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. march — the month
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bat — the animal
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. season — of the year
  23. wound — an injury
  24. bound — obliged

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