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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
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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: craft · wake · land · kid · pop · fall · current · arm

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. fall — to drop
  4. kid — to tease
  5. kid — child
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. current — of water
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. land — a country
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. land — ground
  13. craft — boats
  14. land — to come down
  15. pop — music
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. craft — a skill
  18. current — electric
  19. fall — the season
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. pop — soda
  22. fall — to drop
  23. current — happening now
  24. wake — a trail

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