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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: band · prune · wound · firm · perch · ball · fall · wake

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. ball — a great time
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. wake — a trail
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. band — a ring
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. fall — to drop
  11. band — a music group
  12. wound — an injury
  13. ball — a dance
  14. firm — steady
  15. perch — the fish
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. prune — to trim
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. fall — the season
  21. wound — an injury
  22. fall — to drop
  23. prune — to trim
  24. firm — a company

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