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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 116 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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. current — happening now
  5. land — to come down
  6. land — ground
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. saw — the tool
  9. pound — a weight
  10. rush — hurry
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. land — a country
  16. bore — to drill
  17. current — electric
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. bore — to tire
  23. current — of water
  24. wave — of the sea

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