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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. wound — an injury
  3. current — of water
  4. spring — a coil
  5. current — happening now
  6. craft — a skill
  7. spring — of water
  8. wound — an injury
  9. craft — boats
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. cell — in biology
  12. ball — a great time
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. ball — a dance
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. bulb — for light
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. current — electric
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. spring — the season
  22. wake — a trail
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. cell — in a prison

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