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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: bound · mouse · spell · fork · dip · current · straw · prune

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. current — electric
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. spell — a short time
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. fork — in a road
  7. spell — magic
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. prune — to trim
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. bound — tied together
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. bound — certain
  15. spell — letters
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. dip — to sink
  19. bound — obliged
  20. prune — to trim
  21. current — of water
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. current — happening now

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