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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.

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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. current — electric
  3. pop — music
  4. current — happening now
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. pop — to visit
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. prune — to trim
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. current — of water
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. pop — soda
  15. bear — the animal
  16. branch — a division
  17. prune — to trim
  18. kid — to tease
  19. kid — child
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. bear — the animal
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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