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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.

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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: fine · wound · current · prune · last · bear · kid · sharp

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. sharp — clever
  3. prune — to trim
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. prune — to trim
  6. last — finally
  7. current — happening now
  8. last — final
  9. current — electric
  10. fine — high quality
  11. current — of water
  12. last — to go on
  13. fine — all right
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. kid — child
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — an injury
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. bear — the animal
  23. kid — to tease
  24. sharp — with an edge

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