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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.

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 · bowl · pop · current · leaves · land · content · pitcher

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. pop — to visit
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. land — a country
  12. current — happening now
  13. land — to come down
  14. content — happy
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. pop — soda
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. prune — to trim
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. content — the amount
  22. current — electric
  23. pop — music
  24. land — ground

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