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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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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. squash — to crush
  3. current — electric
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. craft — boats
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. rock — a stone
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. current — of water
  12. saw — the tool
  13. craft — a skill
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. branch — a division
  16. rock — music
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. chest — a box
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. saw — the tool
  22. current — happening now
  23. chest — of your body
  24. squash — the sport

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