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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. craft — a skill
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. current — happening now
  8. current — of water
  9. fall — the season
  10. capital — money
  11. shower — rain
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. fall — to drop
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. fall — to drop
  16. wind — moving air
  17. capital — a city
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. wind — moving air
  20. craft — boats
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. current — electric
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. shower — to wash

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