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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wave · fall · trunk · key · swing · row · ground · wake

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. swing — music
  3. row — a line
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fall — to drop
  9. ground — a position
  10. ground — crushed
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. swing — in golf
  13. wake — a trail
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. swing — to play on
  16. key — for a lock
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. ground — the earth
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. row — to paddle
  22. fall — the season
  23. key — the most important part
  24. key — in music

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