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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. rule — a law
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. current — of water
  6. rule — government
  7. cold — not warm
  8. branch — a division
  9. kick — in football
  10. current — happening now
  11. cold — an illness
  12. vault — a safe
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. prune — to trim
  22. bulb — for light
  23. current — electric
  24. bulb — for light

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