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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: prune · trunk · board · calf · spell · wind · key · wound

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. spell — magic
  3. wound — an injury
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. board — a committee
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. prune — to trim
  9. wound — an injury
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. board — to get on
  12. key — the most important part
  13. prune — to trim
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. key — in music
  16. key — for a lock
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. spell — letters
  24. spell — a short time

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