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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: wave · roll · wake · chair · rush · prune · mug · game

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. roll — a list
  4. mug — a face
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. wake — a trail
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. mug — to rob
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. game — a match
  13. chair — a leader
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. mug — a cup
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. roll — a cake
  19. prune — to trim
  20. rush — hurry
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. prune — to trim

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