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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 116 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: saw · field · prune · track · wave · stem · fall · rash

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. rash — hasty
  3. rash — a series
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. track — to keep track
  6. saw — the tool
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. prune — to trim
  10. fall — to drop
  11. stem — to come from
  12. track — a path
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. field — farmland
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. track — a song
  18. field — a subject
  19. fall — the season
  20. fall — to drop
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. prune — to trim
  23. field — for sport
  24. prune — the fruit

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