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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: trunk · fall · mouse · mine · rash · wake · march · rest

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. march — the month
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. march — the month
  7. fall — to drop
  8. wake — a trail
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. rest — a break
  13. fall — the season
  14. rash — hasty
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. march — music
  17. rest — what's left
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. rest — what's left
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. fall — to drop
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. mine — for digging
  24. rash — a series

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