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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.

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: pop · shower · staff · fine · current · spell · prune · file

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. pop — soda
  3. fine — high quality
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. pop — music
  6. file — a document
  7. spell — a short time
  8. shower — to wash
  9. file — a tool
  10. staff — employees
  11. fine — all right
  12. staff — a stick
  13. pop — to visit
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. spell — letters
  16. file — a line of people
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. current — of water
  19. prune — to trim
  20. shower — rain
  21. prune — to trim
  22. current — electric
  23. staff — employees
  24. current — happening now

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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