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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: net · fan · straw · last · tube · stick · current · prune

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. current — of water
  3. last — final
  4. current — electric
  5. tube — a container
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. last — to go on
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. last — finally
  10. net — in sport
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. prune — to trim
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. tube — the underground
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. net — for catching
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. current — happening now
  22. net — after costs
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. fan — to cool the air

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