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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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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: pop · tear · prune · cell · vault · bowl · current · march

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. current — of water
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. current — happening now
  6. march — the month
  7. pop — music
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. cell — a phone
  10. cell — in biology
  11. prune — to trim
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. march — music
  16. pop — soda
  17. vault — a safe
  18. tear — to rip
  19. march — the month
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. prune — to trim
  22. tear — from crying
  23. pop — to visit
  24. bowl — a football final

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