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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  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. pop — soda
  2. pop — to visit
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. prune — to trim
  5. current — electric
  6. lie — to recline
  7. last — final
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. present — a gift
  10. mark — a grade
  11. present — the time now
  12. current — happening now
  13. present — there
  14. prune — to trim
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. pop — music
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. mark — a trace
  19. last — finally
  20. current — of water
  21. last — to go on
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. patient — a sick person
  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