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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bass — low music
  5. rest — what's left
  6. prune — to trim
  7. clip — for paper
  8. prune — to trim
  9. current — of water
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. root — the cause
  12. spell — a short time
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. rest — what's left
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. rest — a break
  17. spell — magic
  18. clip — to cut
  19. clip — a video
  20. current — electric
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. root — of a word
  23. spell — letters
  24. root — of a plant

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