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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. craft — boats
  4. current — electric
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. current — of water
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. rash — a series
  9. lean — thin
  10. lean — to bend
  11. rash — hasty
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. cold — an illness
  14. current — happening now
  15. craft — a skill
  16. perch — the fish
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. date — the fruit
  19. cold — not warm
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. date — on the calendar

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