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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: jam · current · date · rash · prune · bulb · cell · march

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. bulb — for light
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. current — of water
  5. rash — hasty
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. march — the month
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. bulb — for light
  12. march — music
  13. march — the month
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. prune — to trim
  16. rash — a series
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. current — happening now
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. cell — in biology
  21. prune — to trim
  22. cell — a phone
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. date — the fruit

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