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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 116 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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. prune — to trim
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. cold — an illness
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. plane — a tool
  11. current — happening now
  12. cold — not warm
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. bore — to tire
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. prune — to trim
  17. bore — to drill
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. kick — in football
  22. dip — to sink
  23. current — of water
  24. dip — a sauce

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