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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 120 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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. sharp — clever
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. current — happening now
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. bulb — for light
  9. current — of water
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. craft — boats
  12. pop — to visit
  13. spring — of water
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. spring — the season
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. wake — a trail
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. spring — a coil
  21. bulb — for light
  22. pop — music
  23. current — electric
  24. pop — soda

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