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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: clip · object · prune · mine · current · bulb · chair · fall

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. prune — to trim
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. object — an aim
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. prune — to trim
  8. clip — a video
  9. current — of water
  10. clip — for paper
  11. fall — the season
  12. fall — to drop
  13. object — a thing
  14. mine — for digging
  15. current — electric
  16. fall — to drop
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. object — to protest
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. clip — to cut
  24. chair — a leader

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