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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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. prune — to trim
  3. scale — in music
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. current — happening now
  7. cue — a signal
  8. scale — size or range
  9. spring — a coil
  10. prune — to trim
  11. game — wild animals
  12. game — a match
  13. spring — of water
  14. current — electric
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. current — of water
  17. cue — a hint
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. cue — for pool
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. spring — the season
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. branch — a division

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