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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: rock · rest · toast · sharp · tear · prune · mate · current

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. current — electric
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. mate — a partner
  5. rock — a stone
  6. current — happening now
  7. sharp — clever
  8. rock — music
  9. prune — to trim
  10. tear — from crying
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. mate — to breed
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. tear — from crying
  16. toast — bread
  17. rest — what's left
  18. current — of water
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. rest — what's left
  21. mate — a friend
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. prune — to trim
  24. tear — to rip

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