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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 116 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: cap · trunk · sharp · wake · leaves · stick · wound · coach

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. wound — an injury
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. sharp — clever
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wake — a trail
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. cap — of ice
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. cap — a lid
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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