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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: rest · chest · prune · trunk · racket · bound

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. 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. prune — to trim
  3. chest — of your body
  4. bound — obliged
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. rest — what's left
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. chest — of your body
  9. rest — what's left
  10. bound — certain
  11. chest — a box
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. prune — to trim
  14. rest — a break
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. bound — tied together
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. 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