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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: file · hide · fall · rash · object · cap · craft · current

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. file — a line of people
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. current — happening now
  5. craft — boats
  6. file — a document
  7. object — to protest
  8. file — a tool
  9. object — a thing
  10. cap — a hat
  11. current — electric
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. fall — to drop
  15. cap — of ice
  16. cap — a lid
  17. rash — hasty
  18. fall — to drop
  19. rash — a series
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. object — an aim
  22. current — of water
  23. fall — the season
  24. hide — to keep secret

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