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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.

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: pop · prune · wake · hand · stick · cell · squash · current

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. prune — to trim
  3. pop — music
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. pop — to visit
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. wake — a trail
  9. hand — help
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. squash — to crush
  12. current — electric
  13. current — of water
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. current — happening now
  16. squash — the sport
  17. pop — soda
  18. prune — to trim
  19. cell — a phone
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. hand — in cards
  23. cell — in biology
  24. squash — the vegetable

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