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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 · prune · club · bowl · drill · spring · tube · perch

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. spring — of water
  3. perch — the fish
  4. drill — the tool
  5. club — a group
  6. club — for dancing
  7. tube — a container
  8. spring — a coil
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. spring — the season
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. prune — to trim
  15. club — for golf
  16. drill — a practice
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. tube — the underground
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. drill — army training
  23. bowl — a dish
  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