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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: pop · prune · wind · wake · swing · fine · trunk · leaves

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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. wind — moving air
  4. pop — music
  5. prune — to trim
  6. swing — in golf
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. pop — to visit
  9. pop — soda
  10. swing — to play on
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wake — a trail
  13. fine — all right
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. swing — music
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. fine — high quality

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