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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. game — a match
  3. prune — to trim
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. current — electric
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. rest — a break
  9. march — music
  10. current — happening now
  11. march — the month
  12. game — wild animals
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rest — what's left
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. march — the month
  17. rash — hasty
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. rash — a series
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. current — of water
  22. prune — to trim
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. prune — the fruit

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