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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 · staff · trunk · swing · bound · hand · foot · march

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. march — music
  3. swing — to play on
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. rash — a series
  6. bound — certain
  7. swing — music
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. march — the month
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bound — obliged
  12. march — the month
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. rash — hasty
  17. swing — in golf
  18. hand — help
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. staff — a stick
  21. staff — employees
  22. hand — in cards
  23. staff — employees
  24. rash — on the skin

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