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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. current — happening now
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. current — electric
  6. file — a document
  7. file — a line of people
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. mine — for digging
  10. rock — a stone
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. bark — to shout
  14. craft — a skill
  15. current — of water
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. craft — boats
  19. ball — a dance
  20. file — a tool
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. rock — music
  24. ball — a great time

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