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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  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. mug — to rob
  2. prune — to trim
  3. prune — to trim
  4. current — happening now
  5. bear — the animal
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. current — of water
  9. game — a match
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. pound — a weight
  12. mug — a cup
  13. current — electric
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. bear — the animal
  16. capital — a city
  17. capital — money
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. game — wild animals
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. mug — a face
  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