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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: racket · kick · wave · spring · prune · rest · file · suit

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. file — a line of people
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. prune — to trim
  5. spring — a coil
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. rest — what's left
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. spring — the season
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. suit — to fit
  15. suit — in cards
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. spring — of water
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. file — a document
  20. rest — a break
  21. rest — what's left
  22. file — a tool
  23. suit — clothes
  24. kick — in football

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