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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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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 · lie · date · key · wake · staff · wave · prune

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. tear — to rip
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. key — the most important part
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. key — in music
  9. prune — to trim
  10. prune — to trim
  11. staff — a stick
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. wake — a trail
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. key — for a lock
  17. staff — employees
  18. staff — employees
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. tear — from crying
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. lie — to recline
  23. tear — from crying
  24. prune — the fruit

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