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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.

Make a worksheet

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: prune · stem · bass · mine · net · key · trunk · tear

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bass — low music
  4. tear — from crying
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. stem — to come from
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. tear — to rip
  9. bass — the fish
  10. key — in music
  11. key — the most important part
  12. prune — to trim
  13. tear — from crying
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. mine — for digging
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. net — for catching
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. net — in sport
  23. net — after costs
  24. key — for a lock

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