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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. craft — a skill
  3. file — a tool
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. foot — a measure
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. current — of water
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. ground — a position
  12. craft — boats
  13. file — a line of people
  14. file — a document
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. current — happening now
  17. wake — a trail
  18. band — a music group
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. ground — crushed
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. ground — the earth
  24. band — a ring

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