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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: prune · bear · ground · last · snap · wave · mate · racket

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bear — the animal
  5. ground — crushed
  6. snap — to click
  7. mate — a friend
  8. prune — to trim
  9. ground — a position
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. last — final
  13. bear — the animal
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. ground — the earth
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. last — finally
  22. last — to go on
  23. mate — a partner
  24. mate — to breed

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