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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: pitcher · bark · mate · bass · lean · march · rush · trunk

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. bark — to shout
  3. mate — to breed
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. bass — the fish
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. lean — to bend
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. lean — thin
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. mate — a friend
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. mate — a partner
  20. march — the month
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. march — the month
  23. rush — hurry
  24. march — music

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