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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: current · last · cell · chair · deal · pound · cabinet · prune

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. current — of water
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. last — final
  6. last — to go on
  7. pound — a weight
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. current — electric
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. deal — to handle
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. chair — a leader
  18. last — finally
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. cell — in biology
  21. cell — a phone
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. prune — to trim
  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