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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: trunk · stock · leaves · pitch · march · face · kid · craft

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. march — the month
  3. march — the month
  4. kid — child
  5. face — to point toward
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. craft — boats
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. kid — to tease
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. march — music
  14. face — to confront
  15. stock — goods
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. face — part of the head
  20. craft — a skill
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. stock — shares
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. pitch — completely

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