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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. last — finally
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. last — to go on
  7. current — electric
  8. prune — to trim
  9. lean — thin
  10. current — happening now
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. kid — to tease
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. lean — to bend
  16. last — final
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. snap — to click
  19. current — of water
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. kid — child
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. mine — for digging
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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