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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. rock — music
  6. mug — a face
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. current — happening now
  9. current — electric
  10. mug — to rob
  11. mug — a cup
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. snap — to click
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. rock — a stone
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. branch — a division
  20. current — of water
  21. craft — a skill
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. branch — of a tree

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