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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: rock · wave · rash · cell · mug · trunk · chest · fork

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. cell — a phone
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. rash — a series
  6. chest — of your body
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. cell — in biology
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. mug — to rob
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. mug — a face
  13. chest — a box
  14. fork — in a road
  15. chest — of your body
  16. rock — music
  17. rash — hasty
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. mug — a cup
  24. fork — to eat with

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