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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. club — for dancing
  3. rock — a stone
  4. spring — the season
  5. march — music
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. march — the month
  8. firm — steady
  9. rock — music
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. firm — decided
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. firm — a company
  14. club — a group
  15. spring — of water
  16. spring — a coil
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. board — to get on
  19. band — a music group
  20. band — a ring
  21. club — for golf
  22. board — a committee
  23. march — the month
  24. trunk — of a car

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