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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. current — of water
  3. ground — a position
  4. saw — the tool
  5. tear — from crying
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. current — happening now
  8. saw — the tool
  9. perch — the fish
  10. pit — in a race
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. tear — from crying
  14. ground — crushed
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. prune — to trim
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. tear — to rip
  19. ground — the earth
  20. prune — to trim
  21. current — electric
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. pit — a hole

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