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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: snap · race · rash · lean · current · cap · spell · craft

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. spell — a short time
  3. current — of water
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. cap — a hat
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. race — the arms race
  8. cap — of ice
  9. race — a contest
  10. lean — to bend
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. cap — a lid
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. rash — hasty
  15. lean — thin
  16. spell — letters
  17. craft — a skill
  18. race — humankind
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. current — electric
  21. spell — magic
  22. craft — boats
  23. rash — a series
  24. snap — to click

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