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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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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. wake — a trail
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. march — music
  11. cap — of ice
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. march — the month
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. cap — a hat
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. bass — low music
  19. craft — a skill
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. cap — a lid
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. craft — boats
  24. bass — the fish

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