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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: file · band · can · trunk · mouse · present · hand · prune

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. hand — in cards
  3. present — there
  4. prune — to trim
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. band — a ring
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. file — a document
  10. hand — help
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. band — a music group
  13. present — the time now
  14. prune — to trim
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. file — a line of people
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. present — a gift
  19. can — a tin
  20. can — to be able to
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. file — a tool
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. can — a tin

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