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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  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. kid — to tease
  2. prune — to trim
  3. can — to be able to
  4. spell — a short time
  5. current — electric
  6. current — happening now
  7. prune — to trim
  8. swing — to play on
  9. spell — magic
  10. kid — child
  11. can — a tin
  12. spell — letters
  13. can — a tin
  14. staff — employees
  15. swing — in golf
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. current — of water
  18. swing — music
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. deal — to handle
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — a stick
  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