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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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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: march · craft · staff · bear · pound · wave · foot · pop

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. bear — the animal
  3. pound — a weight
  4. pop — to visit
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. foot — a measure
  8. craft — a skill
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. march — music
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. pop — music
  14. staff — employees
  15. bear — the animal
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. pop — soda
  19. staff — a stick
  20. craft — boats
  21. march — the month
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. march — the month
  24. foot — part of the body

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