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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: prune · club · current · face · band · bulb · can · kid

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. kid — to tease
  5. current — electric
  6. prune — to trim
  7. bulb — for light
  8. club — a group
  9. club — for dancing
  10. face — to point toward
  11. current — of water
  12. band — a ring
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. face — part of the head
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. bulb — for light
  17. face — to confront
  18. can — a tin
  19. band — a music group
  20. can — a tin
  21. prune — to trim
  22. kid — child
  23. can — to be able to
  24. current — happening now

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