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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. fork — in a road
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. charge — electricity
  5. club — a group
  6. current — happening now
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. club — for dancing
  9. current — electric
  10. scale — in music
  11. pound — a weight
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. cold — not warm
  14. charge — a price
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. club — for golf
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. current — of water
  20. cold — an illness
  21. prune — to trim
  22. scale — size or range
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. charge — in control

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