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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: hand · tube · prune · straw · trunk · racket · band · wake

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. wake — a trail
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. tube — the underground
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. band — a ring
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. prune — to trim
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. band — a music group
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. tube — a container
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. hand — help
  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