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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · bore · chip · fan · wake · saw · stem · wave

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. wake — a trail
  4. stem — to come from
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. bore — to tire
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. prune — to trim
  11. saw — the tool
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. chip — to eat
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. chip — for betting
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. bore — to drill
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. saw — the tool

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