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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: current · tube · squash · prune · face · mine · wake · key

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. face — to confront
  6. squash — to crush
  7. face — to point toward
  8. prune — to trim
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. squash — the sport
  13. current — happening now
  14. wake — a trail
  15. tube — the underground
  16. key — for a lock
  17. tube — a container
  18. mine — for digging
  19. key — in music
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. key — the most important part
  22. current — electric
  23. current — of water
  24. face — part of the head

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