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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: trunk · row · bass · present · court · march · press · bound

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  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. court — of law
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bound — tied together
  5. court — of a king
  6. press — to push
  7. bound — certain
  8. press — newspapers
  9. court — for sport
  10. present — the time now
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. present — there
  14. row — to paddle
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. march — music
  17. march — the month
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. present — a gift
  20. press — a publisher
  21. march — the month
  22. bass — low music
  23. bass — the fish
  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