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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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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: band · snap · fork · leaves · track · current · prune · kick

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. current — of water
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. current — electric
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. track — a song
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. current — happening now
  10. prune — to trim
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. kick — in football
  15. track — a path
  16. snap — to click
  17. track — to keep track
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. prune — to trim
  20. fork — in a road
  21. band — a ring
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. fork — a garden tool

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