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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 120 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: present · wound · craft · lean · plane · current · dip · track

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. 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. present — a gift
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. plane — a tool
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. craft — boats
  6. lean — to bend
  7. dip — to sink
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. track — a path
  10. current — happening now
  11. track — a song
  12. wound — an injury
  13. lean — thin
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. track — to keep track
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. craft — a skill
  18. wound — an injury
  19. current — electric
  20. current — of water
  21. present — there
  22. present — the time now
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. 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