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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: band · stand · mug · wind · rest · trunk · march · ground

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. band — a ring
  3. stand — to bear
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. wind — moving air
  6. ground — crushed
  7. rest — a break
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. mug — to rob
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. ground — a position
  13. mug — a face
  14. rest — what's left
  15. band — a music group
  16. march — music
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. mug — a cup
  19. rest — what's left
  20. march — the month
  21. march — the month
  22. ground — the earth
  23. wind — moving air
  24. trunk — of a car

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