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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 120 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: march · file · wake · row · trunk · lash · rash · fine

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. fine — high quality
  4. fine — all right
  5. march — the month
  6. march — the month
  7. row — to paddle
  8. row — a line
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. file — a tool
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. rash — hasty
  13. file — a line of people
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. file — a document
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. rash — a series
  23. wake — a trail
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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