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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: current · file · nail · mine · sharp · bulb · snap · prune

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. prune — to trim
  3. current — electric
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. bulb — for light
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. current — of water
  9. bulb — for light
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. file — a document
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. sharp — clever
  16. prune — to trim
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. snap — to click
  19. current — happening now
  20. file — a line of people
  21. mine — for digging
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. file — a tool
  24. nail — on a finger

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