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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: bat · fan · squash · current · cell · prune · ball · content

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. current — of water
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — to trim
  7. content — the amount
  8. cell — a phone
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. squash — the sport
  11. current — happening now
  12. current — electric
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. squash — to crush
  16. ball — a dance
  17. content — happy
  18. bat — the animal
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. ball — a great time
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. bat — for baseball

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