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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.

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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: club · drill · craft · stem · land · current · squash · last

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. last — final
  3. last — finally
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. craft — boats
  6. land — a country
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. drill — army training
  9. current — happening now
  10. stem — to come from
  11. club — a group
  12. current — of water
  13. squash — the sport
  14. drill — a practice
  15. squash — to crush
  16. drill — the tool
  17. land — ground
  18. club — for golf
  19. craft — a skill
  20. current — electric
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. land — to come down
  23. club — for dancing
  24. last — to go on

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