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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: board · spell · prune · rash · current · bear · trunk · wind

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. spell — letters
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. bear — the animal
  9. rash — a series
  10. rash — hasty
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. current — happening now
  13. bear — the animal
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wind — moving air
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. spell — a short time
  18. current — of water
  19. board — a committee
  20. board — to get on
  21. current — electric
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. spell — magic

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