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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: trunk · prune · game · kick · season · cap · cabinet · wind

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. season — of the year
  4. kick — in football
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. prune — to trim
  9. cap — of ice
  10. season — in sport
  11. prune — to trim
  12. wind — moving air
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. game — wild animals
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. wind — moving air
  18. game — a match
  19. cap — a lid
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. cap — a hat
  24. cabinet — ministers

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