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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 120 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 reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. current — electric
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. clip — for paper
  10. rush — hurry
  11. bound — certain
  12. clip — a video
  13. clip — to cut
  14. current — happening now
  15. rest — what's left
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. rest — what's left
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. current — of water
  20. prune — to trim
  21. bound — obliged
  22. rest — a break
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. prune — to trim

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