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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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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 · cap · march · hide · bank · stick · rock · key

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. key — in music
  3. march — the month
  4. bank — for money
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. bank — for money
  10. cap — of ice
  11. march — music
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. march — the month
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. cap — a lid
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. key — the most important part
  21. rock — a stone
  22. bank — of a river
  23. rock — music
  24. key — for a lock

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