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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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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: fan · race · roll · board · trunk · wave · march · hand

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. race — the arms race
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. march — the month
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. march — music
  9. board — to get on
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. race — a contest
  12. race — humankind
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. hand — in cards
  15. hand — help
  16. board — a committee
  17. roll — a cake
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. march — the month
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. roll — a list
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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