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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: mouse · wake · face · rush · fork · wave · prune · spring

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  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. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. spring — the season
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. face — to point toward
  5. face — part of the head
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. spring — a coil
  8. prune — to trim
  9. rush — hurry
  10. face — to confront
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. fork — in a road
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. prune — to trim
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. spring — of water
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. wake — a trail
  23. mouse — the animal
  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