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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: current · fan · cell · mug · mine · wave · last · prune

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. last — to go on
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. mug — to rob
  7. cell — in biology
  8. mug — a cup
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. current — of water
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. mug — a face
  13. current — happening now
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. last — finally
  17. cell — a phone
  18. last — final
  19. current — electric
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. prune — to trim
  23. prune — to trim
  24. fan — to cool the air

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