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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. pit — in a race
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. key — in music
  6. can — to be able to
  7. key — for a lock
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. last — final
  10. pit — a hole
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. can — a tin
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. bark — to shout
  15. last — finally
  16. current — of water
  17. can — a tin
  18. current — electric
  19. prune — to trim
  20. current — happening now
  21. key — the most important part
  22. last — to go on
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. bark — of a tree

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