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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.

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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: wind · season · trunk · plane · pass · squash · last · wave

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. squash — the sport
  4. squash — to crush
  5. wind — moving air
  6. last — to go on
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. pass — a permit
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. plane — a tool
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. season — in sport
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. wind — moving air
  19. season — of the year
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. last — final
  22. last — finally
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. wave — with your hand

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