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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. prune — to trim
  4. wake — a trail
  5. spell — letters
  6. spell — a short time
  7. march — music
  8. rush — hurry
  9. fall — the season
  10. prune — to trim
  11. march — the month
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. fall — to drop
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. march — the month
  17. object — an aim
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. fall — to drop
  20. object — a thing
  21. spell — magic
  22. object — to protest
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. rush — a thrill

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