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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 116 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: prune · bat · row · bank · current · spring · rule · track

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. spring — of water
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. current — of water
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. current — happening now
  8. bank — for money
  9. prune — to trim
  10. track — a path
  11. rule — a law
  12. rule — government
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bank — of a river
  15. track — a song
  16. bank — for money
  17. track — to keep track
  18. row — a line
  19. row — to paddle
  20. spring — a coil
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. current — electric
  23. spring — the season
  24. row — a quarrel

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