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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: kid · wave · plane · wake · prune · land · rush · kick

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. kid — to tease
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. plane — a tool
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. land — ground
  11. rush — hurry
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. land — a country
  15. prune — to trim
  16. kick — in football
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. land — to come down
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. wake — a trail

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