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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. object — a thing
  3. object — to protest
  4. saw — the tool
  5. object — an aim
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. craft — a skill
  10. saw — the tool
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pound — a weight
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. current — happening now
  16. dip — to sink
  17. current — electric
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. craft — boats
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. pound — to hit hard

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