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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: prune · perch · bear · mine · march · wave · stock · wake

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. bear — the animal
  6. wake — a trail
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. prune — to trim
  9. stock — goods
  10. stock — shares
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. perch — the fish
  14. march — the month
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. march — music
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. march — the month
  22. prune — to trim
  23. bear — the animal
  24. perch — for a bird

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