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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: ground · band · bear · scale · stand · ball · mate · march

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bear — the animal
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. band — a ring
  6. march — the month
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. scale — size or range
  9. mate — a partner
  10. scale — in music
  11. mate — a friend
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. band — a music group
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. stand — to bear
  17. ground — a position
  18. ground — crushed
  19. march — music
  20. mate — to breed
  21. ball — a dance
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. march — the month
  24. ball — a great 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