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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · band · nail · bass · trunk · race · season · wind

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. band — a ring
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. race — a contest
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. wind — moving air
  13. sharp — clever
  14. season — of the year
  15. race — the arms race
  16. bass — the fish
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. wind — moving air
  19. season — in sport
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. race — humankind
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. bass — low music
  24. band — a music group

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