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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: mug · lie · club · land · leaves · wake · trunk · march

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. club — a group
  3. march — the month
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. land — a country
  6. wake — a trail
  7. lie — to recline
  8. club — for golf
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. mug — a face
  12. march — the month
  13. land — to come down
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. club — for dancing
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. mug — a cup
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. mug — to rob
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. march — music

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