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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.

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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 · court · wake · pass · season · straw · trunk · kid

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. court — for sport
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. season — in sport
  7. kid — child
  8. court — of a king
  9. pass — a permit
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. season — of the year
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. court — of law
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. kid — to tease
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. season — to add flavour

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