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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: lean · craft · bound · object · file · kid · march · current

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. kid — child
  3. current — electric
  4. march — the month
  5. bound — tied together
  6. craft — boats
  7. file — a document
  8. kid — to tease
  9. craft — a skill
  10. object — a thing
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. bound — certain
  14. current — happening now
  15. file — a line of people
  16. lean — thin
  17. lean — to bend
  18. current — of water
  19. bound — obliged
  20. march — the month
  21. object — to protest
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. march — music
  24. object — an aim

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