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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 116 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: dip · lean · trunk · pit · march · plane · row · straw

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. pit — a hole
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. lean — thin
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. march — the month
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. row — a line
  15. dip — to sink
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. plane — a tool
  18. pit — in a race
  19. march — the month
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. lean — to bend
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. march — music

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