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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.

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: cap · wake · prune · wave · lie · tube · field · squash

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. field — for sport
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. lie — to recline
  5. cap — a hat
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. wake — a trail
  9. field — a subject
  10. cap — a lid
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. tube — the underground
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. squash — to crush
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. prune — to trim
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. field — farmland
  21. squash — the sport
  22. cap — of ice
  23. tube — a container
  24. prune — to trim

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