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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: jam · cell · craft · land · sharp · fan · current · arm

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. current — of water
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. cell — a phone
  9. sharp — clever
  10. craft — a skill
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. land — to come down
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. craft — boats
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. current — happening now
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. cell — in biology
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. land — a country
  21. land — ground
  22. current — electric
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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