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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  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. pound — a weight
  2. prune — to trim
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. current — electric
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. current — of water
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. ball — a great time
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. snap — to click
  12. current — happening now
  13. ball — a dance
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. perch — the fish
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. lie — to recline
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. mine — for digging
  22. prune — to trim
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  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