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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: pitcher · cold · rest · wake · bear · current · craft · coach

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. cold — an illness
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. cold — not warm
  6. wake — a trail
  7. current — happening now
  8. rest — a break
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. current — electric
  11. craft — boats
  12. craft — a skill
  13. bear — the animal
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. rest — what's left
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. rest — what's left
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. current — of water
  24. coach — a trainer

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