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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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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. prune — to trim
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. mark — a trace
  7. prune — to trim
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. field — a subject
  15. wake — a trail
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. mark — a grade
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. field — farmland
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. field — for sport

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