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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: prune · wave · last · mate · mouse · clip · rush · drill

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. prune — to trim
  3. mate — to breed
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. prune — to trim
  6. clip — a video
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. last — to go on
  9. last — final
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. clip — to cut
  12. mate — a partner
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. mate — a friend
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. drill — army training
  17. clip — for paper
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. drill — the tool
  20. drill — a practice
  21. last — finally
  22. rush — hurry
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mouse — the animal

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