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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: craft · game · current · mine · date · lean · tube · prune

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. current — of water
  3. game — wild animals
  4. mine — for digging
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — to trim
  7. game — a match
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. craft — a skill
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. lean — to bend
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. tube — a container
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. date — the fruit
  17. craft — boats
  18. current — happening now
  19. lean — thin
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. current — electric
  24. date — on the calendar

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