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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. spell — magic
  4. current — electric
  5. current — of water
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. prune — to trim
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. spell — letters
  10. hand — in cards
  11. cell — a phone
  12. spell — a short time
  13. cell — in biology
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. prune — to trim
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. hand — help

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