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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 120 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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. pop — to visit
  4. craft — a skill
  5. craft — boats
  6. current — of water
  7. current — happening now
  8. key — for a lock
  9. wound — an injury
  10. shower — rain
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. plane — a tool
  13. track — to keep track
  14. shower — to wash
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. key — in music
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. key — the most important part
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. pop — music
  21. track — a path
  22. pop — soda
  23. track — a song
  24. wound — an injury

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