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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. current — of water
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. current — electric
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. rush — hurry
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. craft — boats
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. wound — an injury
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. craft — a skill
  17. current — happening now
  18. board — a committee
  19. prune — to trim
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. board — to get on
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. wound — an injury
  24. prune — the fruit

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