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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: bay · kick · bear · date · land · current · lie · prune

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. land — to come down
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. kick — in football
  10. land — ground
  11. date — the fruit
  12. prune — to trim
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. bear — the animal
  18. current — electric
  19. current — happening now
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. lie — to recline
  22. land — a country
  23. bear — the animal
  24. kick — with a leg

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