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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: rash · jam · spring · mug · march · trunk · season · toast

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. march — the month
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. spring — the season
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. rash — hasty
  7. march — music
  8. rash — a series
  9. season — in sport
  10. spring — of water
  11. toast — bread
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. march — the month
  14. mug — a face
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. mug — to rob
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. season — of the year
  19. spring — a coil
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. mug — a cup
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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