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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: last · mine · fork · march · cabinet · straw · bank · trunk

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. bank — of a river
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. march — the month
  9. bank — for money
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. mine — for digging
  12. last — final
  13. march — music
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. march — the month
  19. fork — in a road
  20. last — finally
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. last — to go on

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