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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 120 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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. wind — moving air
  7. spring — the season
  8. wind — moving air
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. spring — of water
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. current — happening now
  13. current — of water
  14. spring — a coil
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. prune — to trim
  18. track — a path
  19. track — to keep track
  20. current — electric
  21. track — a song
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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