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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: racket · present · tube · prune · file · current · rash · pop

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. current — electric
  4. present — the time now
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. rash — a series
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. file — a tool
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. tube — a container
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. rash — hasty
  13. current — of water
  14. prune — to trim
  15. pop — soda
  16. pop — to visit
  17. current — happening now
  18. file — a document
  19. file — a line of people
  20. pop — music
  21. prune — to trim
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. present — there
  24. present — a gift

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