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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 · rest · spring · pop · pit · rule · ground · prune

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. rest — what's left
  3. ground — a position
  4. ground — crushed
  5. current — of water
  6. pit — in a race
  7. spring — a coil
  8. pop — to visit
  9. rest — what's left
  10. pop — soda
  11. current — electric
  12. current — happening now
  13. ground — the earth
  14. pop — music
  15. spring — of water
  16. prune — to trim
  17. spring — the season
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. prune — to trim
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. rest — a break
  22. rule — government
  23. rule — a law
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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