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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: date · craft · straw · toast · current · track · mine · spell

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. current — happening now
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. current — of water
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. spell — letters
  8. track — to keep track
  9. mine — for digging
  10. date — the fruit
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. toast — bread
  14. craft — a skill
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. current — electric
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. spell — a short time
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. craft — boats
  22. spell — magic
  23. track — a song
  24. track — a path

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