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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: wave · stick · field · pop · fan · bay · prune · cell

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. cell — in biology
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. field — a subject
  8. pop — to visit
  9. field — farmland
  10. cell — a phone
  11. pop — music
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. prune — to trim
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. field — for sport
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. prune — to trim
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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