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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 120 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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. net — after costs
  3. can — to be able to
  4. suit — to fit
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. current — electric
  7. prune — to trim
  8. can — a tin
  9. march — the month
  10. net — for catching
  11. current — of water
  12. chest — a box
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. suit — clothes
  15. suit — in cards
  16. current — happening now
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. net — in sport
  20. march — music
  21. chest — of your body
  22. march — the month
  23. chest — of your body
  24. can — a tin

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