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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · fall · wake · club · can · prune · patient · spring

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. spring — the season
  4. club — for dancing
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fall — the season
  8. can — to be able to
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. spring — a coil
  11. can — a tin
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. can — a tin
  14. club — for golf
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. fall — to drop
  19. wake — a trail
  20. club — a group
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. spring — of water
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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