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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: mouse · wind · stick · current · hand · track · toast · prune

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. track — to keep track
  4. hand — help
  5. wind — moving air
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. prune — to trim
  10. track — a song
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. current — happening now
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. current — of water
  17. hand — in cards
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. wind — moving air
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. current — electric
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. toast — bread
  24. track — a path

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