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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
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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: trunk · staff · leaves · last · mark · sharp · racket · cell

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. mark — a trace
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. staff — a stick
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. staff — employees
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. cell — in biology
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. sharp — clever
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. last — to go on
  18. cell — a phone
  19. last — final
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. last — finally
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. mark — a grade

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