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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 120 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: current · chest · hand · safe · prune · court · rock · leaves

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. chest — of your body
  3. current — electric
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. rock — music
  6. court — of law
  7. current — of water
  8. rock — a stone
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. hand — in cards
  13. current — happening now
  14. prune — to trim
  15. chest — of your body
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. prune — to trim
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. court — for sport
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. chest — a box
  22. hand — help
  23. court — of a king
  24. prune — the fruit

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