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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
468
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: fan · pound · game · kid · bulb · march · calf · bear

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. pound — a weight
  3. game — a match
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. march — the month
  6. bear — the animal
  7. kid — child
  8. bulb — for light
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. kid — to tease
  14. march — the month
  15. bear — the animal
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. game — wild animals
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. march — music

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