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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: pound · trunk · stick · capital · march · arm · file · plane

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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. file — a line of people
  3. march — the month
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. march — the month
  8. plane — a tool
  9. capital — money
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. pound — a weight
  12. capital — a city
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. file — a tool
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. file — a document
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. march — music
  24. trunk — of a tree

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