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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: straw · stick · march · toast · trunk · rest · can · row

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. rest — a break
  4. rest — what's left
  5. can — to be able to
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. can — a tin
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. row — to paddle
  15. march — music
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. row — a line
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. can — a tin
  21. toast — bread
  22. march — the month
  23. rest — what's left
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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