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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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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: snap · mate · calf · rule · current · key · degree · prune

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. mate — to breed
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. current — of water
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. current — happening now
  8. mate — a friend
  9. rule — a law
  10. key — for a lock
  11. key — the most important part
  12. degree — temperature
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. key — in music
  15. degree — an amount
  16. rule — government
  17. degree — from a university
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. mate — a partner
  22. prune — to trim
  23. snap — to click
  24. current — electric

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