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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 112 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. hand — in cards
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. current — of water
  5. tear — from crying
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. craft — boats
  8. dip — to sink
  9. current — happening now
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. tear — to rip
  12. tear — from crying
  13. hand — help
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. craft — a skill
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. current — electric

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