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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: nail · perch · march · spring · trunk · pitch · mark · land

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. pitch — completely
  5. land — a country
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. spring — the season
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. land — to come down
  10. land — ground
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. march — the month
  13. mark — a trace
  14. perch — the fish
  15. march — music
  16. spring — a coil
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. spring — of water
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. mark — a grade
  24. perch — for a bird

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