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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. race — humankind
  3. scale — size or range
  4. root — of a word
  5. prune — to trim
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. rule — government
  8. current — of water
  9. root — the cause
  10. race — the arms race
  11. current — electric
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. prune — to trim
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. spring — of water
  17. spring — the season
  18. race — a contest
  19. rule — a law
  20. spring — a coil
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. root — of a plant
  24. scale — in music

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