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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: chip · wave · fall · club · nail · wound · prune · dip

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. wound — an injury
  7. club — for dancing
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. chip — for betting
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. wound — an injury
  12. fall — the season
  13. dip — to sink
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. prune — to trim
  18. chip — to eat
  19. club — a group
  20. club — for golf
  21. prune — to trim
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. fall — to drop
  24. nail — for a hammer

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