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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: current · scale · stick · trunk · season · sharp · wake · wave

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. current — of water
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. wake — a trail
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. sharp — clever
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. current — electric
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. scale — size or range
  22. scale — in music
  23. season — in sport
  24. season — of the year

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