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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 116 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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. ball — a great time
  5. march — the month
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. band — a ring
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. root — of a plant
  12. fork — in a road
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. ball — a dance
  16. fall — the season
  17. fall — to drop
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. root — the cause
  21. march — music
  22. fall — to drop
  23. band — a music group
  24. root — of a word

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