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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 124 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 cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. snap — to click
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. file — a line of people
  6. file — a document
  7. file — a tool
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. prune — to trim
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. cap — of ice
  14. cap — a hat
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. current — happening now
  18. current — of water
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. cap — a lid
  23. current — electric
  24. patient — a sick person

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