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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 felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. current — of water
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. current — electric
  6. chest — of your body
  7. spring — of water
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. spring — the season
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. chest — a box
  15. craft — a skill
  16. plane — a tool
  17. stand — to bear
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. chair — a leader
  20. craft — boats
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. current — happening now
  24. spring — a coil

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