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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. prune — to trim
  3. cap — a hat
  4. tube — the underground
  5. pop — to visit
  6. craft — a skill
  7. cap — of ice
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. scale — in music
  10. craft — boats
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. prune — to trim
  13. cap — a lid
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. current — electric
  16. pop — soda
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. squash — the sport
  19. squash — to crush
  20. current — of water
  21. current — happening now
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. tube — a container
  24. scale — size or range

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