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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. prune — to trim
  4. current — electric
  5. current — happening now
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. can — to be able to
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — an injury
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. can — a tin
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. chest — of your body
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. chest — a box
  17. current — of water
  18. prune — to trim
  19. plane — a tool
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. can — a tin
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. temple — a place of worship

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