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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.

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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 · bass · file · mark · cap · trunk · wave · wind

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. cap — a lid
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. cap — a hat
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. prune — to trim
  11. mark — a grade
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. prune — to trim
  14. file — a document
  15. file — a tool
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. file — a line of people
  18. mark — a trace
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bass — low music
  23. wind — moving air
  24. cap — of ice

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