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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: bark · board · row · ball · march · band · trunk · suit

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. march — the month
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. band — a ring
  7. ball — a great time
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. bark — to shout
  12. ball — a dance
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. suit — in cards
  16. row — to paddle
  17. march — music
  18. suit — to fit
  19. band — a music group
  20. board — to get on
  21. board — a committee
  22. march — the month
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. row — a line

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