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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. net — after costs
  4. current — of water
  5. field — a subject
  6. current — happening now
  7. snap — to click
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. chair — a leader
  10. field — for sport
  11. key — the most important part
  12. key — for a lock
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. wax — to grow
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. net — for catching
  17. net — in sport
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. key — in music
  21. field — farmland
  22. craft — boats
  23. craft — a skill
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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