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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. kick — in football
  5. cue — a signal
  6. craft — boats
  7. current — electric
  8. cue — for pool
  9. file — a tool
  10. current — of water
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. stem — to come from
  14. cue — a hint
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. press — newspapers
  20. press — to push
  21. current — happening now
  22. file — a document
  23. file — a line of people
  24. press — a publisher

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