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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: wake · mark · prune · bowl · wound · bound · rush · dip

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. wake — a trail
  6. prune — to trim
  7. bound — tied together
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. bound — obliged
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. mark — a grade
  14. wound — an injury
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. dip — to sink
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. prune — to trim
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. bound — certain
  23. wound — an injury
  24. mark — a trace

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