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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 · fan · prune · key · file · mouse · wind · patient

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. wind — moving air
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. current — happening now
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. key — the most important part
  9. prune — to trim
  10. key — in music
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. wind — moving air
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. file — a line of people
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. current — of water
  17. current — electric
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. key — for a lock
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. file — a document
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. file — a tool

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