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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: swing · current · roll · tear · mug · prune · plane · snap

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. plane — a tool
  3. mug — a face
  4. current — electric
  5. roll — a list
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. tear — from crying
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. snap — to click
  10. swing — to play on
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. mug — a cup
  14. swing — music
  15. tear — from crying
  16. current — of water
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. prune — to trim
  20. roll — a cake
  21. tear — to rip
  22. mug — to rob
  23. swing — in golf
  24. plane — an aircraft

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