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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: wave · trunk · wake · object · bay · sharp · chest · kick

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. sharp — clever
  9. chest — a box
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — of your body
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. object — a thing
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. wake — a trail
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. object — an aim
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. kick — in football
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. object — to protest
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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