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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. object — an aim
  3. current — happening now
  4. file — a document
  5. object — a thing
  6. current — of water
  7. dip — to sink
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. file — a tool
  10. snap — to click
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. spring — the season
  13. object — to protest
  14. prune — to trim
  15. mark — a trace
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. file — a line of people
  18. spring — of water
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. spring — a coil
  22. mark — a grade
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. prune — to trim

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