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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: mouse · rock · ground · present · drill · chair · prune · current

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. present — a gift
  4. prune — to trim
  5. drill — army training
  6. rock — music
  7. present — there
  8. chair — a leader
  9. ground — crushed
  10. current — of water
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. rock — a stone
  13. current — electric
  14. current — happening now
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. present — the time now
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. drill — the tool
  19. drill — a practice
  20. ground — the earth
  21. ground — a position
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. prune — to trim
  24. chair — a professorship

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