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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: prune · sharp · cell · row · current · lean · key · bass

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. prune — to trim
  3. row — a line
  4. row — to paddle
  5. current — electric
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. cell — a phone
  8. sharp — clever
  9. prune — to trim
  10. key — for a lock
  11. bass — the fish
  12. lean — thin
  13. lean — to bend
  14. key — the most important part
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. cell — in biology
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. key — in music
  22. current — of water
  23. bass — low music
  24. sharp — with an edge

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