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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: game · last · track · wave · prune · wind · cell · mug

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. last — to go on
  5. mug — a face
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. cell — in biology
  8. wind — moving air
  9. prune — to trim
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. game — wild animals
  12. track — a song
  13. game — a match
  14. wind — moving air
  15. track — a path
  16. last — final
  17. mug — a cup
  18. prune — to trim
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. cell — a phone
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. track — to keep track
  23. mug — to rob
  24. prune — the fruit

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