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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  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. key — for a lock
  2. can — to be able to
  3. prune — to trim
  4. current — electric
  5. can — a tin
  6. field — farmland
  7. lie — to recline
  8. key — the most important part
  9. bulb — for light
  10. current — of water
  11. prune — to trim
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. field — for sport
  15. current — happening now
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. bulb — for light
  19. field — a subject
  20. can — a tin
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. key — in music
  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