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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. club — a group
  3. club — for dancing
  4. tube — the underground
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. hand — in cards
  7. tube — a container
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. mark — a trace
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. board — to get on
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. hand — help
  15. club — for golf
  16. cold — an illness
  17. cold — not warm
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. board — a committee
  20. prune — to trim
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. prune — to trim
  23. mark — a grade
  24. wave — with your hand

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