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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. wound — an injury
  4. craft — boats
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. current — happening now
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. row — a line
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. wound — an injury
  12. court — of law
  13. lean — to bend
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. court — for sport
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. wake — a trail
  19. court — of a king
  20. lean — thin
  21. current — electric
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. row — to paddle
  24. craft — a skill

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