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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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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 · jam · key · current · land · mark · bat · lean

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. key — for a lock
  4. bat — the animal
  5. prune — to trim
  6. lean — thin
  7. key — the most important part
  8. mark — a grade
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. prune — to trim
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. current — electric
  14. land — to come down
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. current — of water
  17. lean — to bend
  18. key — in music
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. land — a country
  22. current — happening now
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. land — ground

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