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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: wave · prune · ground · rest · toast · face · date · tube

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. ground — crushed
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. tube — a container
  5. rest — what's left
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. face — part of the head
  8. rest — a break
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. face — to point toward
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. toast — bread
  15. date — the fruit
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. ground — the earth
  18. prune — to trim
  19. face — to confront
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. tube — the underground
  22. prune — to trim
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. rest — what's left

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