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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 · mug · season · lash · land · hand · trunk · fan

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. prune — to trim
  3. mug — to rob
  4. mug — a cup
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. land — a country
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. hand — in cards
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. season — of the year
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. mug — a face
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. season — in sport
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. land — to come down
  20. land — ground
  21. hand — help
  22. prune — to trim
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. trunk — of a tree

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