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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: trunk · wave · date · game · craft · pound · march · chair

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. craft — boats
  4. march — the month
  5. march — music
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. game — a match
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. game — wild animals
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. date — the fruit
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. chair — a leader
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. pound — a weight
  24. march — the month

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