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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. file — a document
  3. spell — a short time
  4. spell — magic
  5. file — a tool
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. hand — help
  8. current — of water
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. net — in sport
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. current — electric
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. current — happening now
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. hand — in cards
  19. prune — to trim
  20. file — a line of people
  21. net — after costs
  22. net — for catching
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. spell — letters

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