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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: prune · field · chest · kid · tube · leaves · fine · current

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. kid — child
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. prune — to trim
  5. field — a subject
  6. field — for sport
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. current — electric
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. current — of water
  11. chest — a box
  12. kid — to tease
  13. field — farmland
  14. fine — all right
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. chest — of your body
  17. tube — a container
  18. chest — of your body
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. prune — to trim
  21. fine — high quality
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. tube — the underground

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