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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. prune — to trim
  3. fine — high quality
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. roll — a list
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. band — a music group
  12. fine — all right
  13. band — a ring
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. degree — from a university
  16. roll — a cake
  17. degree — temperature
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. current — happening now
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. current — of water
  22. degree — an amount
  23. current — electric
  24. prune — to trim

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