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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: prune · saw · land · tear · bore · fan · leaves · current

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. bore — to drill
  4. land — a country
  5. current — of water
  6. saw — the tool
  7. tear — to rip
  8. prune — to trim
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. tear — from crying
  11. land — ground
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. current — happening now
  15. bore — to tire
  16. land — to come down
  17. tear — from crying
  18. prune — to trim
  19. current — electric
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. saw — the tool
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. bore — gave birth

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