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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: wound · kick · mouse · wave · prune · temple · tear · cue

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. wound — an injury
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. cue — a signal
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. cue — a hint
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. prune — to trim
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. cue — for pool
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. prune — to trim
  17. tear — to rip
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. kick — in football
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. tear — from crying

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