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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. wind — moving air
  3. dip — to sink
  4. key — for a lock
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. wind — moving air
  9. bark — to shout
  10. key — in music
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. current — of water
  13. key — the most important part
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. current — electric
  17. current — happening now
  18. prune — to trim
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. spell — letters
  22. spell — magic
  23. spell — a short time
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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