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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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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: content · prune · cabinet · board · hand · fine · trunk · jam

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. prune — to trim
  3. content — happy
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. board — to get on
  9. fine — high quality
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. fine — all right
  14. hand — help
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. hand — in cards
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. board — a committee
  22. content — the amount
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. trunk — of a tree

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