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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.

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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: stand · pitcher · prune · mine · sharp · wave · ball · wake

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. prune — to trim
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. mine — for digging
  10. sharp — clever
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. wake — a trail
  16. ball — a great time
  17. prune — to trim
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. ball — a dance
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. stand — to bear
  24. wave — of the sea

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