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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: pop · wake · shower · cue · craft · bear · prune · bat

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  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. prune — to trim
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. bat — the animal
  4. shower — to wash
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. craft — boats
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bear — the animal
  10. cue — for pool
  11. wake — a trail
  12. prune — to trim
  13. cue — a signal
  14. shower — rain
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. pop — music
  17. craft — a skill
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. cue — a hint
  20. pop — to visit
  21. pop — soda
  22. bear — the animal
  23. wake — before a funeral
  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