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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 just a dried plum.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. current — electric
  3. board — to get on
  4. current — happening now
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. current — of water
  7. shower — to wash
  8. spring — a coil
  9. chest — of your body
  10. shower — rain
  11. tube — a container
  12. prune — to trim
  13. board — a committee
  14. chest — a box
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. fork — in a road
  17. spring — of water
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. chest — of your body
  22. tube — the underground
  23. prune — to trim
  24. spring — the season

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