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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. bound — obliged
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. fall — the season
  6. wake — a trail
  7. branch — a division
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. fall — to drop
  10. bound — certain
  11. prune — to trim
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. prune — to trim
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. current — happening now
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. bound — tied together
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. current — electric
  22. sharp — clever
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. fall — to drop

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