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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: fan · rash · clip · mouse · track · nail · current · prune

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. prune — to trim
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. clip — a video
  6. prune — to trim
  7. track — a path
  8. clip — for paper
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. clip — to cut
  11. track — to keep track
  12. rash — hasty
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. current — happening now
  15. rash — a series
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. track — a song
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. current — electric
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. current — of water

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