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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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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: wave · trunk · tube · branch · tear · bay · wound · prune

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. tube — a container
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. branch — a division
  7. tear — from crying
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. tear — to rip
  17. tube — the underground
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. prune — to trim
  24. tear — from crying

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