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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: mark · trunk · march · bat · temple · wound · net · saw

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. saw — the tool
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. march — the month
  5. saw — the tool
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. mark — a trace
  9. wound — an injury
  10. net — after costs
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. net — for catching
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. bat — the animal
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. net — in sport
  18. wound — an injury
  19. mark — a grade
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. march — music
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. trunk — of a car

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