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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wake — a trail
  5. content — happy
  6. last — finally
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. last — to go on
  16. last — final
  17. ball — a dance
  18. content — the amount
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. board — to get on
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. ball — a great time
  24. board — a committee

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