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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: band · net · bore · current · prune · fall · row · chair

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. fall — to drop
  5. current — happening now
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. bore — to drill
  8. band — a music group
  9. net — for catching
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. chair — a leader
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. net — in sport
  14. band — a ring
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. row — to paddle
  17. prune — to trim
  18. net — after costs
  19. bore — to tire
  20. current — electric
  21. fall — to drop
  22. row — a line
  23. prune — to trim
  24. current — of water

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