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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 120 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 · march · coach · patient · bank · foot · straw · present

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. bank — for money
  8. foot — a measure
  9. present — a gift
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. bank — for money
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. present — the time now
  17. present — there
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. march — the month
  20. bank — of a river
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. march — the month
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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