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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: calf · wake · prune · board · land · race · trunk · rush

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. land — a country
  3. land — to come down
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. rush — hurry
  6. prune — to trim
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. board — to get on
  10. land — ground
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. race — the arms race
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. race — a contest
  19. board — a committee
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. wake — a trail
  22. race — humankind
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. calf — of the leg

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