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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: cell · chest · prune · band · wake · bowl · cue · fork

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. chest — a box
  3. prune — to trim
  4. wake — a trail
  5. chest — of your body
  6. cue — a signal
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. band — a ring
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. cue — for pool
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. prune — to trim
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. cue — a hint
  18. band — a music group
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. fork — in a road
  22. cell — a phone
  23. cell — in biology
  24. chest — of your body

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