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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · track · march · wind · prune · saw · stick · game

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. current — of water
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. track — a song
  5. prune — to trim
  6. current — electric
  7. track — a path
  8. saw — the tool
  9. march — music
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. game — a match
  13. current — happening now
  14. game — wild animals
  15. wind — moving air
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. prune — to trim
  18. saw — the tool
  19. track — to keep track
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. march — the month
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. march — the month
  24. wind — to turn a key

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