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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: craft · mouse · bore · current · bark · season · pitcher · bowl

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. craft — boats
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. bark — to shout
  7. season — of the year
  8. season — in sport
  9. current — of water
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. current — electric
  15. craft — a skill
  16. bore — to drill
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. bore — to tire
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. current — happening now

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