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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 116 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: current · prune · fork · shower · dip · snap · swing · root

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. fork — in a road
  3. shower — rain
  4. snap — to click
  5. current — happening now
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. swing — to play on
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. current — electric
  11. dip — to sink
  12. root — of a word
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. swing — music
  16. swing — in golf
  17. prune — to trim
  18. root — of a plant
  19. prune — to trim
  20. shower — to wash
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. root — the cause
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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