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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: row · kick · fan · march · trunk · jam · sharp · bound

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. sharp — clever
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. march — music
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. row — a line
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. bound — tied together
  14. bound — obliged
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. march — the month
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. row — to paddle
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. kick — in football
  24. bound — certain

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