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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: bound · foot · trunk · bass · file · wave · season · calf

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. bound — tied together
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. bass — low music
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. file — a document
  15. bass — the fish
  16. season — in sport
  17. bound — obliged
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. file — a tool
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. bound — certain
  22. season — of the year
  23. file — a line of people
  24. foot — a measure

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