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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 120 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 cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. cap — of ice
  3. cap — a hat
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. current — happening now
  6. track — a path
  7. track — to keep track
  8. press — a publisher
  9. press — to push
  10. kid — child
  11. file — a line of people
  12. prune — to trim
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. row — to paddle
  15. press — newspapers
  16. current — of water
  17. current — electric
  18. track — a song
  19. file — a document
  20. row — a line
  21. kid — to tease
  22. cap — a lid
  23. file — a tool
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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