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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: wave · face · mark · trunk · prune · stem · rule · mine

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. rule — a law
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. mine — for digging
  7. face — part of the head
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. face — to point toward
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. prune — to trim
  13. mark — a trace
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. rule — government
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. face — to confront
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. prune — to trim
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. stem — to come from

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