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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: sharp · trunk · object · mate · net · field · scale · wake

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. net — after costs
  4. wake — a trail
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. object — a thing
  8. scale — size or range
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. mate — a friend
  11. net — for catching
  12. field — farmland
  13. sharp — clever
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. object — an aim
  16. mate — to breed
  17. field — a subject
  18. mate — a partner
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. net — in sport
  21. field — for sport
  22. scale — in music
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. object — to protest

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