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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 116 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: sharp · spell · wind · march · trunk · lie · racket · wake

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. wind — moving air
  3. spell — letters
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. wake — a trail
  7. march — music
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. wind — moving air
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. spell — a short time
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. spell — magic
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. lie — to recline
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. sharp — clever
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. march — the month
  24. march — the month

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