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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: cabinet · trunk · rock · rush · kid · march · stick · tear

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. rock — music
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. march — the month
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. rock — a stone
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. kid — to tease
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. rush — hurry
  16. march — music
  17. kid — child
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tear — to rip
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. march — the month
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. tear — from crying

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