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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. pop — soda
  3. mine — for digging
  4. perch — the fish
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. pop — to visit
  7. pop — music
  8. current — electric
  9. scale — in music
  10. scale — size or range
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. prune — to trim
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. current — of water
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. current — happening now
  24. hide — to keep secret

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