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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. net — after costs
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. kid — to tease
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. net — in sport
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. net — for catching
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. row — a line
  19. row — to paddle
  20. kid — child
  21. sharp — clever
  22. fork — in a road
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. wave — of the sea

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