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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: net · snap · march · rock · row · trunk · squash · pitcher

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. row — to paddle
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. net — for catching
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. rock — a stone
  10. snap — to click
  11. march — the month
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. squash — to crush
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. march — music
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. row — a line
  18. squash — the sport
  19. net — in sport
  20. net — after costs
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. rock — music
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. march — the month

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