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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: mug · roll · bound · trunk · rock · march · wake · board

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. board — to get on
  3. rock — music
  4. mug — to rob
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. roll — a list
  7. bound — certain
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. roll — a cake
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. march — music
  13. wake — a trail
  14. board — a committee
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bound — tied together
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. rock — a stone
  19. mug — a face
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. march — the month
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. march — the month

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