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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. prune — to trim
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. prune — to trim
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. current — happening now
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. deal — to handle
  12. bark — to shout
  13. pit — in a race
  14. pit — a hole
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. current — of water
  17. hand — in cards
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. saw — the tool
  20. tube — the underground
  21. hand — help
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. saw — the tool
  24. tube — a container

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