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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: row · trunk · sharp · march · stick · hand · mug · pop

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. mug — a cup
  4. hand — help
  5. row — to paddle
  6. march — the month
  7. march — music
  8. pop — music
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. march — the month
  14. row — a line
  15. mug — to rob
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. sharp — clever
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. pop — to visit
  21. pop — soda
  22. mug — a face
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. hand — in cards

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