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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. prune — to trim
  4. march — the month
  5. march — the month
  6. lean — to bend
  7. prune — to trim
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. chair — a leader
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. march — music
  13. row — to paddle
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. club — a group
  16. lean — thin
  17. row — a line
  18. club — for golf
  19. club — for dancing
  20. current — happening now
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. current — of water

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