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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. current — electric
  3. season — of the year
  4. ground — crushed
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. current — of water
  7. object — an aim
  8. squash — to crush
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. prune — to trim
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. squash — the sport
  13. wake — a trail
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. ground — the earth
  16. prune — to trim
  17. object — to protest
  18. object — a thing
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. ground — a position
  22. season — in sport
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. current — happening now

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