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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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Word bank
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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. current — electric
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. pound — a weight
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. prune — to trim
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. branch — a division
  16. kid — child
  17. cell — in biology
  18. current — happening now
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. cell — a phone
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. current — of water
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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