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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. season — of the year
  3. prune — to trim
  4. pit — a hole
  5. bound — obliged
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. prune — to trim
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. season — in sport
  10. clip — a video
  11. clip — for paper
  12. date — the fruit
  13. branch — a division
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. bound — tied together
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. current — electric
  18. pit — in a race
  19. clip — to cut
  20. bound — certain
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. current — happening now
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. branch — of a tree

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