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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: face · trunk · mug · net · prune · wind · court · wave

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. mug — to rob
  3. mug — a face
  4. net — for catching
  5. prune — to trim
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. net — after costs
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. net — in sport
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. mug — a cup
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. prune — to trim
  16. court — for sport
  17. wind — moving air
  18. face — part of the head
  19. court — of law
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. court — of a king
  23. face — to point toward
  24. face — to confront

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