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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 120 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 · track · cue · craft · pitch · land · trunk · shower

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. pitch — completely
  3. march — the month
  4. cue — a hint
  5. craft — a skill
  6. land — a country
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. cue — a signal
  9. shower — to wash
  10. track — to keep track
  11. land — ground
  12. craft — boats
  13. march — music
  14. track — a song
  15. track — a path
  16. cue — for pool
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. march — the month
  22. shower — rain
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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