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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: trunk · march · suit · last · chip · fan · can · row

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. suit — clothes
  4. chip — for betting
  5. chip — to eat
  6. last — finally
  7. row — a line
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. suit — in cards
  10. last — final
  11. can — a tin
  12. last — to go on
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. march — the month
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. march — the month
  19. suit — to fit
  20. can — to be able to
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. march — music
  23. can — a tin
  24. row — to paddle

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