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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 116 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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. prune — to trim
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. band — a ring
  5. current — electric
  6. rash — hasty
  7. current — happening now
  8. pop — soda
  9. stock — shares
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. band — a music group
  12. current — of water
  13. race — humankind
  14. pop — to visit
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. prune — to trim
  17. pop — music
  18. rash — a series
  19. stock — goods
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. race — a contest
  22. race — the arms race
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. plane — a tool

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