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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 116 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: saw · face · squash · suit · hand · wave · row · prune

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. saw — the tool
  3. face — to confront
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. hand — help
  6. hand — in cards
  7. face — part of the head
  8. suit — to fit
  9. squash — the sport
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. prune — to trim
  13. suit — in cards
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. row — to paddle
  17. saw — the tool
  18. suit — clothes
  19. squash — to crush
  20. prune — to trim
  21. face — to point toward
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. row — a line
  24. squash — the vegetable

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