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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.

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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: wave · patient · suit · snap · trunk · sharp · cell · fan

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. sharp — clever
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. suit — in cards
  16. cell — a phone
  17. snap — to click
  18. suit — to fit
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. cell — in biology

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