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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: racket · wave · wound · content · cabinet · pit · prune · snap

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. prune — to trim
  6. content — happy
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. pit — in a race
  10. pit — a hole
  11. content — the amount
  12. prune — to trim
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. wound — an injury
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. snap — to click
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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