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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
468
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: charge · season · arm · craft · current · cap · cold · lean

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. charge — electricity
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. craft — a skill
  6. lean — to bend
  7. season — of the year
  8. cap — a lid
  9. cold — not warm
  10. cap — a hat
  11. cold — an illness
  12. craft — boats
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. current — electric
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. season — in sport
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. cap — of ice
  19. current — of water
  20. current — happening now
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. charge — in control
  23. charge — a price
  24. arm — a part of something

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