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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: file · trunk · roll · press · last · march · bark · mug

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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. last — finally
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. file — a tool
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. march — music
  9. file — a document
  10. press — newspapers
  11. bark — to shout
  12. mug — a face
  13. press — to push
  14. file — a line of people
  15. roll — a list
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. mug — a cup
  18. last — to go on
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. march — the month
  21. mug — to rob
  22. last — final
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. press — a publisher

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