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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. current — electric
  3. snap — to click
  4. land — to come down
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. kid — child
  7. prune — to trim
  8. can — a tin
  9. tube — a container
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. land — ground
  12. tube — the underground
  13. can — to be able to
  14. can — a tin
  15. current — of water
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. kid — to tease
  20. foot — a measure
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. land — a country
  23. current — happening now
  24. tube — in a tire

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