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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  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 handicraft
  2. wound — an injury
  3. current — electric
  4. band — a music group
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. craft — boats
  7. current — happening now
  8. track — to keep track
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. track — a song
  11. shower — rain
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. shower — to wash
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. current — of water
  18. bat — the animal
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. band — a ring
  22. craft — a skill
  23. track — a path
  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