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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: march · stand · spring · rash · can · file · pitch · trunk

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. stand — to bear
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. pitch — completely
  7. spring — the season
  8. march — the month
  9. spring — of water
  10. march — the month
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. file — a line of people
  13. file — a document
  14. rash — a series
  15. can — a tin
  16. spring — a coil
  17. file — a tool
  18. can — to be able to
  19. rash — hasty
  20. can — a tin
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. march — music
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. stand — for spectators

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