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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: pound · staff · arm · stand · jam · march · fork · mine

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. march — the month
  5. staff — employees
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. mine — for digging
  9. staff — a stick
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. fork — in a road
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. staff — employees
  17. stand — to bear
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. march — music
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. pound — a weight
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. march — the month

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