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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: bear · saw · lie · trunk · march · court · kid · board

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. kid — child
  4. lie — to recline
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. bear — the animal
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. court — for sport
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. march — music
  13. kid — to tease
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. bear — the animal
  16. board — to get on
  17. board — a committee
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — the tool
  20. march — the month
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. court — of a king
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. court — of law

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