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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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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 · race · prune · craft · tube · ball · fork · wake

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. race — a contest
  4. prune — to trim
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. wake — a trail
  7. ball — a great time
  8. craft — boats
  9. race — the arms race
  10. tube — the underground
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. ball — a dance
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. fork — in a road
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. tube — a container
  21. prune — to trim
  22. race — humankind
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. craft — a skill

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