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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: march · roll · lie · current · cap · dip · staff · prune

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. march — the month
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. lie — to recline
  5. cap — of ice
  6. staff — a stick
  7. roll — a list
  8. dip — to sink
  9. march — music
  10. staff — employees
  11. current — electric
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. cap — a lid
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. prune — to trim
  16. current — of water
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. prune — to trim
  20. march — the month
  21. current — happening now
  22. staff — employees
  23. roll — a cake
  24. cap — a hat

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