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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 116 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 · stand · chair · fall · mouse · bark · mate

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. chair — a leader
  8. march — the month
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. stand — to bear
  11. fall — the season
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. bark — to shout
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. mate — a partner
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. march — the month
  20. fall — to drop
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. mate — a friend
  23. mate — to breed
  24. fall — to drop

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