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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. squash — to crush
  3. squash — the sport
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — to trim
  8. can — a tin
  9. pound — a weight
  10. last — to go on
  11. last — final
  12. land — ground
  13. can — a tin
  14. current — electric
  15. last — finally
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. mine — for digging
  18. current — of water
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. land — a country
  21. can — to be able to
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. land — to come down
  24. mine — belonging to me

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