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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: wake · calf · wave · prune · march · patient · tear · fan

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  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. tear — to rip
  2. tear — from crying
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. march — the month
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. prune — to trim
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. tear — from crying
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. march — the month
  22. march — music
  23. calf — a young animal
  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