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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  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 — the fruit
  2. prune — to trim
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. toast — bread
  6. bound — tied together
  7. chest — a box
  8. wake — a trail
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. prune — to trim
  12. chest — of your body
  13. bound — certain
  14. bound — obliged
  15. chest — of your body
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. snap — to click
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  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