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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: kid · march · can · firm · ground · pound · leaves · straw

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. ground — a position
  3. firm — a company
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. pound — a weight
  6. kid — to tease
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. march — the month
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. ground — crushed
  11. march — the month
  12. can — a tin
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. firm — decided
  17. kid — child
  18. ground — the earth
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. can — a tin
  21. march — music
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. firm — steady

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