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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 · court · trunk · fall · press · craft · dip · current

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. march — the month
  3. press — a publisher
  4. court — for sport
  5. craft — a skill
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. court — of a king
  8. fall — to drop
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. current — of water
  11. march — the month
  12. current — electric
  13. fall — to drop
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. dip — to sink
  18. press — newspapers
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. fall — the season
  21. craft — boats
  22. press — to push
  23. current — happening now
  24. court — of law

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