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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: kick · leaves · wound · bass · snap · mark · trunk · wake

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. snap — to click
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. kick — in football
  6. bass — the fish
  7. wake — a trail
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. bass — low music
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. wound — an injury
  16. mark — a trace
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. wound — an injury
  23. mark — a grade
  24. bass — the instrument

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