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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: last · racket · prune · wave · row · wound · firm · bore

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. last — final
  10. last — to go on
  11. bore — to tire
  12. firm — steady
  13. wound — an injury
  14. last — finally
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. row — to paddle
  17. prune — to trim
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. bore — to drill
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. prune — to trim
  22. firm — decided
  23. wound — an injury
  24. firm — a company

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