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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. spring — the season
  3. current — of water
  4. current — electric
  5. current — happening now
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. spring — a coil
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. prune — to trim
  10. snap — to click
  11. net — for catching
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rest — what's left
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. spring — of water
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. net — in sport
  18. band — a music group
  19. rest — a break
  20. band — a ring
  21. net — after costs
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. prune — to trim

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