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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: tear · pop · drill · foot · game · fine · prune · wave

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. pop — to visit
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. fine — all right
  6. game — a match
  7. drill — the tool
  8. drill — a practice
  9. fine — high quality
  10. foot — a measure
  11. game — wild animals
  12. pop — music
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. prune — to trim
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. tear — to rip
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. pop — soda
  21. drill — army training
  22. tear — from crying
  23. prune — to trim
  24. tear — from crying

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