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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. bass — the fish
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. can — a tin
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. rock — music
  7. can — to be able to
  8. snap — to click
  9. prune — to trim
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. prune — to trim
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. rock — a stone
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. wake — a trail
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. bass — low music
  20. can — a tin
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. prune — the fruit

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