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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: wake · current · wave · calf · snap · prune · staff · field

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. prune — to trim
  3. field — farmland
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. field — for sport
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. prune — to trim
  8. current — of water
  9. current — electric
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. staff — employees
  12. snap — to click
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. wake — a trail
  15. staff — employees
  16. staff — a stick
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. current — happening now
  22. field — a subject
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. wake — before a funeral

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