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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. can — a tin
  4. fall — to drop
  5. prune — to trim
  6. fall — the season
  7. fall — to drop
  8. degree — from a university
  9. can — to be able to
  10. can — a tin
  11. date — the fruit
  12. degree — temperature
  13. prune — to trim
  14. current — electric
  15. current — happening now
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. degree — an amount
  18. squash — the sport
  19. wax — to grow
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. squash — to crush
  24. wax — for sculpting

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