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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: current · club · cell · chip · craft · straw

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. craft — a skill
  3. chip — to eat
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. cell — in biology
  6. chip — for betting
  7. current — happening now
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. craft — boats
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. club — for golf
  13. cell — a phone
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. club — a group
  16. club — for dancing
  17. current — electric
  18. craft — a handicraft

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