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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: prune · trunk · tear · stand · temple · wave · chip · mate

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. prune — to trim
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. tear — from crying
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. tear — to rip
  9. mate — a friend
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. stand — to bear
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. mate — to breed
  16. chip — to eat
  17. tear — from crying
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. chip — for betting
  20. prune — to trim
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. mate — a partner
  24. temple — a place of worship

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