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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. prune — to trim
  3. cap — a hat
  4. prune — to trim
  5. current — happening now
  6. net — for catching
  7. file — a tool
  8. cap — of ice
  9. current — electric
  10. chest — of your body
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bulb — for light
  13. net — after costs
  14. file — a document
  15. net — in sport
  16. fine — high quality
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. chest — a box
  19. chest — of your body
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. fine — all right
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. cap — a lid
  24. file — a line of people

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