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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. scale — size or range
  4. current — electric
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. current — of water
  7. mark — a grade
  8. wind — moving air
  9. mark — a trace
  10. prune — to trim
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. current — happening now
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. wind — moving air
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. prune — to trim
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. scale — in music
  24. prune — the fruit

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