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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. cell — a phone
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. tear — to rip
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. bank — of a river
  7. prune — to trim
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. track — a path
  10. track — a song
  11. current — happening now
  12. track — to keep track
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. bank — for money
  15. prune — to trim
  16. tear — from crying
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. tear — from crying
  20. cell — in biology
  21. deal — to handle
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. bank — for money
  24. current — of water

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