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

Word bank: prune · wave · club · fall · hide · pitcher · present · tear

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. present — the time now
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. club — for golf
  8. club — for dancing
  9. prune — to trim
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. tear — from crying
  13. fall — to drop
  14. tear — from crying
  15. club — a group
  16. present — a gift
  17. fall — the season
  18. prune — to trim
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. present — there
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. tear — to rip
  24. fall — to drop

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