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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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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: stem · cell · wave · saw · mark · pit · wake · prune

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. wake — a trail
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. pit — a hole
  9. saw — the tool
  10. pit — in a race
  11. cell — a phone
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. mark — a grade
  14. mark — a trace
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. prune — to trim
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. cell — in biology
  23. saw — the tool
  24. stem — to come from

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