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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: mark · press · wave · march · wound · saw · wind · trunk

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. saw — the tool
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wind — moving air
  6. saw — the tool
  7. mark — a grade
  8. march — music
  9. press — to push
  10. march — the month
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. wind — moving air
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. press — a publisher
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. march — the month
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. press — newspapers
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. mark — a trace

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