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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: sharp · trunk · bat · leaves · scale · wave · board · fine

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. board — to get on
  5. scale — in music
  6. fine — all right
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. fine — high quality
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. scale — size or range
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. board — a committee
  19. sharp — clever
  20. bat — the animal
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. fine — a penalty

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