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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: march · jam · nail · mug · court · trunk · wound · net

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. net — in sport
  4. net — for catching
  5. march — the month
  6. court — of a king
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. march — music
  9. net — after costs
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. mug — a face
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. court — for sport
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — an injury
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. mug — to rob
  21. march — the month
  22. mug — a cup
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. court — of law

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