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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. craft — a skill
  3. spring — the season
  4. capital — money
  5. track — to keep track
  6. current — electric
  7. shower — rain
  8. bound — tied together
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. spring — of water
  11. capital — a city
  12. spring — a coil
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. current — of water
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. bound — obliged
  17. track — a path
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. craft — boats
  20. shower — to wash
  21. track — a song
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. current — happening now
  24. craft — a handicraft

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