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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. current — of water
  3. prune — to trim
  4. plane — a tool
  5. wound — an injury
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. prune — to trim
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. last — finally
  11. last — to go on
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. current — happening now
  14. current — electric
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. last — final
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. hand — help
  23. wound — an injury
  24. hand — in cards

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