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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: trunk · straw · game · spell · can · pass · roll · march

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. roll — a cake
  3. march — music
  4. roll — a list
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. pass — a permit
  7. spell — magic
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. spell — a short time
  12. can — a tin
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. game — wild animals
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. can — to be able to
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. march — the month
  22. spell — letters
  23. can — a tin
  24. game — a match

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