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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bear · prune · plane · current · straw · can · kid · dip

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. dip — to sink
  3. prune — to trim
  4. can — to be able to
  5. can — a tin
  6. current — of water
  7. bear — the animal
  8. kid — child
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. current — happening now
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. bear — the animal
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. plane — a tool
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. can — a tin
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. prune — to trim
  24. current — electric

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