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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. current — happening now
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. prune — to trim
  5. net — for catching
  6. net — after costs
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. spring — of water
  9. scale — size or range
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. spring — a coil
  12. net — in sport
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. scale — in music
  15. current — of water
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. spring — the season
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. prune — to trim
  21. lie — to recline
  22. current — electric
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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