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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 120 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: trunk · can · wind · spell · prune · lean · chip · track

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. track — to keep track
  3. can — to be able to
  4. spell — a short time
  5. chip — to eat
  6. track — a song
  7. spell — magic
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. can — a tin
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. lean — to bend
  15. lean — thin
  16. wind — moving air
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. prune — to trim
  19. wind — moving air
  20. track — a path
  21. chip — for betting
  22. spell — letters
  23. can — a tin
  24. prune — to trim

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