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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cold · mate · wake · ball · bulb · ground · trunk · wave

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. ground — the earth
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. bulb — for light
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. wake — a trail
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. bulb — for light
  13. mate — a partner
  14. ground — a position
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. ball — a dance
  18. mate — a friend
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. mate — to breed
  21. ground — crushed
  22. cold — an illness
  23. ball — a great time
  24. cold — not warm

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