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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 116 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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bank — for money
  4. current — electric
  5. bank — of a river
  6. current — happening now
  7. bank — for money
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. net — for catching
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. current — of water
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. cell — a phone
  15. rock — a stone
  16. swing — to play on
  17. net — in sport
  18. swing — in golf
  19. net — after costs
  20. cell — in biology
  21. wound — an injury
  22. prune — to trim
  23. rock — music
  24. swing — music

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