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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: temple · current · fan · prune · roll · pop · spell · clip

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. roll — a list
  4. clip — to cut
  5. roll — a cake
  6. spell — letters
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. current — of water
  10. current — happening now
  11. spell — magic
  12. pop — music
  13. pop — to visit
  14. current — electric
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. prune — to trim
  20. prune — to trim
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. clip — for paper
  23. clip — a video
  24. spell — a short time

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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