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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 shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. chair — a leader
  3. present — a gift
  4. prune — to trim
  5. present — there
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. current — of water
  8. current — happening now
  9. tear — from crying
  10. rock — music
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. pop — music
  13. current — electric
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. pop — soda
  17. rock — a stone
  18. present — the time now
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. tear — to rip
  21. pop — to visit
  22. mark — a trace
  23. prune — to trim
  24. mark — a grade

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