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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 120 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: fork · trunk · sharp · club · mark · key · wave · cold

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. club — a group
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. club — for golf
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. key — in music
  8. cold — an illness
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. mark — a grade
  14. key — for a lock
  15. fork — in a road
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. club — for dancing
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. cold — not warm
  23. key — the most important part
  24. sharp — clever

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