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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. mark — a grade
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. key — the most important part
  5. key — for a lock
  6. key — in music
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. band — a ring
  11. pop — music
  12. wind — moving air
  13. pop — to visit
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. wake — a trail
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. band — a music group
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. mark — a trace
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. prune — to trim
  22. pop — soda
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. wake — before a funeral

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