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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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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: current · cabinet · stick · sharp · trunk · wake · march · plane

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. wake — a trail
  5. sharp — clever
  6. march — the month
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. current — happening now
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. current — electric
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. march — music
  19. plane — a tool
  20. march — the month
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. current — of water
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. cabinet — ministers

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