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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. stand — to bear
  5. bulb — for light
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. craft — a skill
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. cold — an illness
  11. cold — not warm
  12. bear — the animal
  13. craft — boats
  14. bear — the animal
  15. current — of water
  16. kick — in football
  17. bulb — for light
  18. perch — the fish
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. current — happening now
  24. bulb — of a plant

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