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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: spell · tube · wound · charge · wave · track · fall · prune

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. track — a song
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. charge — electricity
  5. spell — a short time
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — to trim
  8. track — to keep track
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — to drop
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. tube — the underground
  13. tube — a container
  14. fall — the season
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. wound — an injury
  17. track — a path
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. spell — letters
  20. spell — magic
  21. wound — an injury
  22. charge — a price
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. charge — in control

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