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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. current — happening now
  3. prune — to trim
  4. press — to push
  5. last — finally
  6. current — electric
  7. last — to go on
  8. kid — to tease
  9. scale — size or range
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. last — final
  12. kid — child
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. bulb — for light
  17. scale — in music
  18. press — a publisher
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. prune — to trim
  21. press — newspapers
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. bulb — for light
  24. current — of water

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