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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: rule · track · cap · rest · clip · fan · current · prune

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rest — a break
  3. prune — to trim
  4. rest — what's left
  5. current — happening now
  6. track — to keep track
  7. rule — a law
  8. cap — of ice
  9. cap — a hat
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. clip — a video
  12. track — a song
  13. current — of water
  14. track — a path
  15. clip — for paper
  16. cap — a lid
  17. rule — government
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. prune — to trim
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. clip — to cut
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. current — electric

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