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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: capital · prune · wave · spell · trunk · ground · band · can

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. can — a tin
  5. band — a music group
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. spell — a short time
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. spell — magic
  11. prune — to trim
  12. can — to be able to
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. prune — to trim
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. can — a tin
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. capital — money
  19. ground — a position
  20. spell — letters
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. ground — the earth
  23. capital — a city
  24. band — a ring

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