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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 didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. swing — to play on
  3. chest — a box
  4. craft — a skill
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. craft — boats
  7. current — electric
  8. current — happening now
  9. hand — in cards
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. current — of water
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. chest — of your body
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. swing — music
  20. swing — in golf
  21. chest — of your body
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. hand — help
  24. wake — a trail

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