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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 116 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: dip · rest · net · current · kid · pitcher · prune · snap

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. kid — to tease
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. current — happening now
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. rest — a break
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. rest — what's left
  11. net — in sport
  12. snap — to click
  13. dip — to sink
  14. net — after costs
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. current — of water
  17. prune — to trim
  18. net — for catching
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. kid — child
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. rest — what's left
  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