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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. current — happening now
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. mark — a trace
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. file — a tool
  10. prune — to trim
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. file — a document
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. file — a line of people
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. current — of water
  21. scale — in music
  22. scale — size or range
  23. plane — a tool
  24. mark — a grade

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