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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: present · trunk · fork · toast · prune · ground · wave · mine

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. present — there
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — to trim
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. mine — for digging
  10. toast — bread
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. ground — crushed
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. ground — the earth
  20. fork — in a road
  21. ground — a position
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. present — a gift

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