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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: fan · cold · current · face · season · prune · game · dip

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. current — of water
  3. season — in sport
  4. face — part of the head
  5. prune — to trim
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. dip — to sink
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. game — a match
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. current — happening now
  12. current — electric
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. face — to confront
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. cold — an illness
  20. season — of the year
  21. game — wild animals
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. prune — to trim
  24. cold — not warm

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