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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 120 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: rash · rock · fan · prune · season · rest · bound · trunk

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. rock — music
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. prune — to trim
  5. season — in sport
  6. rock — a stone
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bound — certain
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. rash — hasty
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. bound — obliged
  15. bound — tied together
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. prune — to trim
  19. season — of the year
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rash — a series
  23. rest — a break
  24. trunk — of a car

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