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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

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: shower · stick · craft · plane · current · tear · squash · mug

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. mug — to rob
  3. current — of water
  4. tear — from crying
  5. squash — to crush
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. plane — a tool
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. tear — from crying
  10. craft — a skill
  11. current — electric
  12. shower — to wash
  13. mug — a cup
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. craft — boats
  17. mug — a face
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. tear — to rip
  20. shower — rain
  21. current — happening now
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. squash — the sport
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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