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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 120 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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. clip — to cut
  4. current — of water
  5. prune — to trim
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. prune — to trim
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. mate — to breed
  13. ground — a position
  14. ground — the earth
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. current — happening now
  17. mate — a friend
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. mate — a partner
  20. current — electric
  21. clip — a video
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. clip — for paper

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