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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rest · current · dip · track · hand · prune

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. rest — a break
  3. track — a song
  4. hand — help
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. prune — to trim
  8. current — happening now
  9. current — electric
  10. track — to keep track
  11. hand — in cards
  12. dip — to sink
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rest — what's left
  15. prune — to trim
  16. current — of water
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. dip — to dunk

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