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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: wound · fan · straw · prune · bowl · rash · wave · temple

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. rash — a series
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. prune — to trim
  7. wound — an injury
  8. rash — hasty
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. prune — to trim
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. wound — an injury
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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