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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. saw — the tool
  3. object — to protest
  4. club — a group
  5. current — electric
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. object — an aim
  8. shower — rain
  9. club — for dancing
  10. saw — the tool
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. object — a thing
  13. current — happening now
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. prune — to trim
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. club — for golf
  20. current — of water
  21. fine — all right
  22. shower — to wash
  23. fine — high quality
  24. deal — to handle

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