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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. current — electric
  3. object — an aim
  4. object — a thing
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. field — farmland
  7. current — of water
  8. object — to protest
  9. bound — certain
  10. bound — tied together
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. cue — a hint
  13. current — happening now
  14. cue — a signal
  15. bound — obliged
  16. prune — to trim
  17. squash — the sport
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. prune — to trim
  20. branch — a division
  21. squash — to crush
  22. field — for sport
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. field — a subject

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