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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: prune · mug · snap · trunk · rash · board · cell · wave

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. mug — to rob
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. cell — a phone
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. board — to get on
  8. prune — to trim
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. rash — a series
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. mug — a face
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. board — a committee
  18. mug — a cup
  19. rash — hasty
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. snap — to click
  22. cell — in biology
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. prune — to trim

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