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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: prune · calf · current · wound · can · saw · rush · fan

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. current — happening now
  3. rush — hurry
  4. wound — an injury
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. saw — the tool
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. can — to be able to
  10. current — electric
  11. prune — to trim
  12. current — of water
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. wound — an injury
  17. can — a tin
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. saw — the tool
  22. can — a tin
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. prune — the fruit

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