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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 · leaves · current · content · sharp · foot · race · last

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. prune — to trim
  7. current — of water
  8. current — electric
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. content — the amount
  11. race — the arms race
  12. content — happy
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. current — happening now
  15. prune — to trim
  16. foot — a measure
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. race — humankind
  20. last — to go on
  21. last — final
  22. sharp — clever
  23. race — a contest
  24. last — finally

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