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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 120 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: ball · pound · wave · prune · chest · rest · content · rush

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. rest — what's left
  3. content — happy
  4. prune — to trim
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. chest — a box
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. rest — a break
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. rest — what's left
  11. chest — of your body
  12. ball — a dance
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. prune — to trim
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. ball — a great time
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. content — the amount
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. chest — of your body
  22. pound — a weight
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. rush — hurry

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