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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 116 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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. cold — not warm
  3. prune — to trim
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. wake — a trail
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. current — of water
  9. prune — to trim
  10. rash — a series
  11. mark — a grade
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. dip — to sink
  15. current — electric
  16. cold — an illness
  17. rash — hasty
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. fine — high quality
  20. fine — all right
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. current — happening now
  24. rash — on the skin

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