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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: arm · march · degree · bound · trunk · coach · chip · mark

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  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. bound — tied together
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. chip — to eat
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. march — the month
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. degree — temperature
  12. bound — certain
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. bound — obliged
  16. degree — an amount
  17. mark — a trace
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. mark — a grade
  21. march — the month
  22. chip — for betting
  23. degree — from a university
  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