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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. band — a ring
  3. current — electric
  4. cue — a hint
  5. current — happening now
  6. current — of water
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. cold — not warm
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. cue — a signal
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. cold — an illness
  17. roll — a cake
  18. pound — a weight
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. prune — to trim
  22. prune — to trim
  23. band — a music group
  24. cue — for pool

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