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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: patient · lash · saw · foot · cue · chest · prune · wake

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. chest — of your body
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. chest — of your body
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. saw — the tool
  13. cue — a signal
  14. prune — to trim
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. cue — for pool
  18. cue — a hint
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. foot — a measure
  21. saw — the tool
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. prune — to trim
  24. chest — a box

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