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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  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. prune — to trim
  2. snap — to click
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. current — electric
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. bore — to drill
  7. capital — a city
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. branch — a division
  10. current — of water
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. bore — to tire
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. prune — to trim
  19. capital — money
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. current — happening now
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. branch — of a bank
  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