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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: row · prune · wound · march · hand · key · wave · ball

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. prune — to trim
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. ball — a great time
  6. wound — an injury
  7. hand — help
  8. row — a line
  9. prune — to trim
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. hand — in cards
  12. march — the month
  13. wound — an injury
  14. key — in music
  15. key — for a lock
  16. march — music
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. key — the most important part
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. ball — a dance
  23. march — the month
  24. wave — of the sea

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