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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 120 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: craft · cue · land · stand · last · wake · prune · tube

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. cue — a hint
  5. stand — to bear
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. wake — a trail
  8. last — final
  9. cue — for pool
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. prune — to trim
  12. tube — a container
  13. last — to go on
  14. cue — a signal
  15. tube — the underground
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. craft — a skill
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. craft — boats
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. land — a country
  22. last — finally
  23. prune — to trim
  24. land — to come down

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