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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. prune — to trim
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. can — a tin
  5. file — a line of people
  6. clip — a video
  7. current — of water
  8. clip — to cut
  9. current — happening now
  10. last — final
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. prune — to trim
  15. can — a tin
  16. can — to be able to
  17. last — finally
  18. current — electric
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. band — a ring
  21. band — a music group
  22. clip — for paper
  23. file — a document
  24. file — a tool

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