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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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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: can · cue · prune · wave · stem · march · board · kid

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. march — music
  3. kid — to tease
  4. march — the month
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. prune — to trim
  7. board — to get on
  8. cue — a hint
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. prune — to trim
  12. board — a committee
  13. can — to be able to
  14. cue — for pool
  15. can — a tin
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. stem — to come from
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. can — a tin
  22. march — the month
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. kid — child

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