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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 116 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. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. last — to go on
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. last — final
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. fine — high quality
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. swing — to play on
  13. fine — all right
  14. last — finally
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. prune — to trim
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. swing — music
  19. prune — to trim
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. swing — in golf
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. pitcher — a jug

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