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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 124 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: current · fan · wake · cell · prune · swing

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. prune — to trim
  4. swing — to play on
  5. cell — a phone
  6. prune — to trim
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. swing — music
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. wake — a trail
  11. current — happening now
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. cell — in biology
  14. current — electric
  15. current — of water
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — to cool the air

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