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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. spell — a short time
  3. prune — to trim
  4. tube — a container
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. stock — goods
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. staff — employees
  10. tube — the underground
  11. stock — shares
  12. current — electric
  13. staff — employees
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. dip — to sink
  16. current — happening now
  17. prune — to trim
  18. spell — letters
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. spell — magic
  22. current — of water
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. tube — in a tire

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