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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: suit · mate · hand · fall · prune · kick · wind · current

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. mate — a friend
  4. fall — to drop
  5. suit — in cards
  6. hand — in cards
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. mate — a partner
  9. kick — in football
  10. fall — the season
  11. prune — to trim
  12. mate — to breed
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. wind — moving air
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. prune — to trim
  17. current — happening now
  18. current — electric
  19. hand — help
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. wind — moving air
  22. current — of water
  23. suit — to fit
  24. fall — to drop

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