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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 120 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: fall · wake · stand · mug · prune · degree · club · safe

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. fall — the season
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. wake — a trail
  6. degree — temperature
  7. club — for dancing
  8. mug — a face
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. degree — from a university
  11. mug — a cup
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. degree — an amount
  15. mug — to rob
  16. prune — to trim
  17. club — for golf
  18. club — a group
  19. fall — to drop
  20. stand — to bear
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. fall — to drop
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — the fruit

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