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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. kid — child
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. prune — to trim
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. current — happening now
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. current — of water
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. scale — in music
  13. fine — all right
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fine — high quality
  16. fall — the season
  17. fall — to drop
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. prune — to trim
  20. kid — to tease
  21. current — electric
  22. scale — size or range
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. sharp — clever

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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