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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: prune · current · arm · mark · row · pop · court · cabinet

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. pop — to visit
  3. court — for sport
  4. row — a line
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. current — happening now
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. mark — a grade
  10. row — to paddle
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. current — electric
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. court — of a king
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. court — of law
  18. current — of water
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. pop — soda
  22. prune — to trim
  23. mark — a trace
  24. prune — to trim

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