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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 · pitcher · foot · ground · trunk · cap · squash · roll

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. cap — a lid
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. ground — a position
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. squash — to crush
  7. roll — a list
  8. ground — crushed
  9. roll — a cake
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. march — the month
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. march — the month
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. ground — the earth
  19. cap — a hat
  20. foot — a measure
  21. cap — of ice
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. squash — the sport
  24. pitcher — a jug

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