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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. fine — all right
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. spring — of water
  5. prune — to trim
  6. spring — a coil
  7. current — of water
  8. key — the most important part
  9. cell — a phone
  10. key — in music
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. cell — in biology
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. current — happening now
  18. prune — to trim
  19. key — for a lock
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. fine — high quality
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. spring — the season
  24. mouse — for a computer

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