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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: prune · lie · wake · trunk · lean · scale · wave · mine

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. mine — for digging
  3. scale — in music
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. lean — to bend
  6. prune — to trim
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. prune — to trim
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. scale — size or range
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. lean — thin
  19. lie — to recline
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. wake — a trail

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