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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 116 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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. current — happening now
  3. ground — the earth
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. current — electric
  6. ground — a position
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. wound — an injury
  10. current — of water
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. bat — the animal
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. craft — boats
  18. wound — an injury
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. ground — crushed
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. bat — in an idiom

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