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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. mark — a grade
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. prune — to trim
  15. pound — a weight
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. branch — a division
  20. wake — a trail
  21. current — electric
  22. current — happening now
  23. prune — to trim
  24. current — of water

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