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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. current — of water
  3. prune — to trim
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. current — happening now
  6. spring — of water
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. spring — a coil
  10. wake — a trail
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. row — a line
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. spring — the season
  17. row — to paddle
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. prune — to trim
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. current — electric
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. prune — the fruit

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