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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: board · march · can · rest · row · hand · trunk · leaves

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. can — a tin
  5. hand — in cards
  6. board — a committee
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. row — a line
  9. rest — what's left
  10. march — the month
  11. hand — help
  12. can — to be able to
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. march — music
  15. rest — a break
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. rest — what's left
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. march — the month
  21. row — to paddle
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. can — a tin
  24. board — to get on

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