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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: key · prune · current · chip · row · bark · rush · sharp

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. current — of water
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. current — electric
  5. key — for a lock
  6. chip — to eat
  7. row — to paddle
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. current — happening now
  10. row — a line
  11. bark — to shout
  12. rush — hurry
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. key — the most important part
  19. key — in music
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. sharp — clever
  22. prune — to trim
  23. chip — for betting
  24. rush — to hurry

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