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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
468
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: hide · wake · cold · prune · hand · toast · mark · net

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. net — for catching
  3. hand — help
  4. net — after costs
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. net — in sport
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. cold — an illness
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. prune — to trim
  11. wake — a trail
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. prune — to trim
  14. mark — a trace
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hand — in cards
  18. mark — a grade
  19. toast — bread
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. cold — not warm
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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