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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. last — final
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. object — to protest
  5. last — finally
  6. object — an aim
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — an injury
  10. last — to go on
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. craft — boats
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. craft — a skill
  16. current — of water
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. current — electric
  22. object — a thing
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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