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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · stem · shower · ball · trunk · bear · mark · deal

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. deal — to handle
  3. ball — a great time
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. ball — a dance
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. march — music
  11. mark — a trace
  12. stem — to come from
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. march — the month
  16. shower — rain
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. march — the month
  20. mark — a grade
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. shower — to wash
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bear — the animal

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