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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: trunk · lash · shower · date · key · mug · wax · prune

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. prune — to trim
  3. key — in music
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. shower — rain
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. prune — to trim
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. key — for a lock
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. wax — to grow
  14. shower — to wash
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. date — the fruit
  17. key — the most important part
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. mug — to rob
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. mug — a cup
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. wax — in the ear

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