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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. prune — to trim
  3. pop — to visit
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. vault — a safe
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. rush — hurry
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. wound — an injury
  12. current — happening now
  13. wound — an injury
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. pop — soda
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. date — the fruit
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. pop — music
  23. current — electric
  24. prune — to trim

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