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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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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: mark · wave · bass · press · mouse · sharp · trunk · field

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. press — to push
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. bass — low music
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. bass — the fish
  11. press — a publisher
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. mark — a grade
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. press — newspapers
  18. field — farmland
  19. field — a subject
  20. field — for sport
  21. mark — a trace
  22. sharp — clever
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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