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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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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: tear · racket · deal · content · bay · march · row · trunk

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. row — a line
  3. tear — from crying
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. tear — to rip
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. tear — from crying
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. content — happy
  13. content — the amount
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. row — to paddle
  17. march — music
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. march — the month
  24. deal — to handle

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