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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. prune — to trim
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. pop — soda
  6. last — to go on
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. pop — music
  9. sharp — clever
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. mine — for digging
  12. prune — to trim
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. last — final
  15. root — the cause
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. root — of a plant
  18. root — of a word
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. pop — to visit
  21. wake — a trail
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. last — finally

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