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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · perch · prune · march · cold · bass · temple · fine

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bass — low music
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. cold — an illness
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. bass — the fish
  11. march — music
  12. march — the month
  13. cold — not warm
  14. march — the month
  15. fine — high quality
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. current — of water
  18. perch — the fish
  19. current — happening now
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. prune — to trim
  22. fine — all right
  23. prune — to trim
  24. perch — for a bird

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