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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. key — the most important part
  3. prune — to trim
  4. key — for a lock
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. key — in music
  7. shower — rain
  8. shower — to wash
  9. current — happening now
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. face — part of the head
  12. net — after costs
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. net — in sport
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. current — of water
  19. face — to confront
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. current — electric
  23. net — for catching
  24. face — to point toward

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