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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. current — of water
  5. bound — tied together
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. club — a group
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. rash — a series
  10. club — for dancing
  11. bound — certain
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. prune — to trim
  14. current — happening now
  15. prune — to trim
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. current — electric
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. bound — obliged
  22. wake — a trail
  23. mine — for digging
  24. club — for golf

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