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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  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 — to trim
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. club — a group
  5. ground — the earth
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. ground — a position
  8. prune — to trim
  9. ground — crushed
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. club — for dancing
  12. staff — employees
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. club — for golf
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. staff — employees
  17. shower — to wash
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. shower — rain
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. staff — a stick
  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