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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: bay · club · hand · bear · march · squash · content · trunk

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. club — a group
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. content — the amount
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. march — the month
  10. content — happy
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. squash — the sport
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. club — for golf
  15. march — music
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. hand — in cards
  19. squash — to crush
  20. bear — the animal
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. march — the month
  23. club — for dancing
  24. hand — help

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