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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. prune — to trim
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. prune — to trim
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. spell — letters
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. chest — of your body
  9. current — of water
  10. chest — of your body
  11. tube — the underground
  12. current — electric
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. bank — for money
  15. bank — for money
  16. chest — a box
  17. spell — a short time
  18. bank — of a river
  19. tube — a container
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. spell — magic
  24. nail — for a hammer

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