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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 · wound · current · swing · mine · toast · shower · race

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. shower — rain
  3. craft — boats
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. craft — a skill
  8. current — electric
  9. current — happening now
  10. shower — to wash
  11. mine — for digging
  12. swing — to play on
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. race — humankind
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. swing — in golf
  18. toast — bread
  19. race — the arms race
  20. wound — an injury
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. race — a contest
  23. current — of water
  24. wound — an injury

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