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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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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. file — a document
  7. branch — a division
  8. swing — to play on
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. file — a line of people
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. season — in sport
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. swing — music
  17. swing — in golf
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. sharp — clever
  20. craft — a skill
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. craft — boats
  23. season — of the year
  24. file — a tool

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