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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: kid · wound · row · chair · prune · pop · current · bear

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. row — to paddle
  3. pop — soda
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. bear — the animal
  6. kid — to tease
  7. current — of water
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. pop — to visit
  10. current — happening now
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. prune — to trim
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. row — a line
  16. wound — an injury
  17. kid — child
  18. pop — music
  19. chair — a leader
  20. current — electric
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. prune — to trim
  23. bear — the animal
  24. wound — an injury

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