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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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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 · trunk · race · ball · march · bass · fork · wave

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. ball — a dance
  3. fork — in a road
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. march — the month
  6. march — music
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. ball — a great time
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. march — the month
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. race — the arms race
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — moving air
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. race — humankind
  19. bass — low music
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. bass — the fish

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