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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 116 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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. current — of water
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. craft — a skill
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. charge — electricity
  7. clip — a video
  8. clip — for paper
  9. file — a document
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. craft — boats
  13. charge — a price
  14. current — electric
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. file — a tool
  17. file — a line of people
  18. stem — to come from
  19. stand — to bear
  20. current — happening now
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. clip — to cut

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