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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 116 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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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: bulb · prune · saw · rest · wave · cell · last · club

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. rest — a break
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. saw — the tool
  6. last — final
  7. cell — a phone
  8. last — finally
  9. bulb — for light
  10. cell — in biology
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. club — a group
  13. bulb — for light
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. last — to go on
  17. club — for golf
  18. prune — to trim
  19. saw — the tool
  20. club — for dancing
  21. rest — what's left
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. prune — to trim
  24. rest — what's left

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