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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. prune — to trim
  3. can — a tin
  4. drill — the tool
  5. current — of water
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. pit — in a race
  8. wax — to grow
  9. current — electric
  10. band — a music group
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. current — happening now
  14. prune — to trim
  15. drill — a practice
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. can — to be able to
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. drill — army training
  20. band — a ring
  21. pit — a hole
  22. can — a tin
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. wax — in the ear

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