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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.

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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: prune · trunk · band · scale · mark · safe · wind · cue

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. scale — size or range
  3. cue — a signal
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. scale — in music
  7. band — a music group
  8. wind — moving air
  9. cue — for pool
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. mark — a grade
  13. band — a ring
  14. prune — to trim
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. prune — to trim
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. mark — a trace
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. cue — a hint

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