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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. swing — to play on
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. wake — a trail
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. swing — music
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. mine — for digging
  18. swing — in golf
  19. branch — a division
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. prune — to trim
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. prune — to trim

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