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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 had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. mate — a partner
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. current — electric
  6. bank — of a river
  7. craft — a skill
  8. snap — to click
  9. wind — moving air
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. bank — for money
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. mate — to breed
  14. current — of water
  15. mate — a friend
  16. wind — moving air
  17. bank — for money
  18. row — to paddle
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. current — happening now
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. craft — boats
  24. row — a line

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