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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. pop — to visit
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. bound — obliged
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. bound — tied together
  8. season — in sport
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. current — of water
  11. foot — a measure
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. season — of the year
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. kick — in football
  16. pop — soda
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. bound — certain
  20. current — happening now
  21. prune — to trim
  22. current — electric
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. pop — music

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