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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: tear · perch · spring · fan · craft · fork · mate · current

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. mate — a partner
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. spring — a coil
  5. craft — a skill
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. mate — a friend
  8. current — electric
  9. mate — to breed
  10. spring — of water
  11. fork — in a road
  12. current — of water
  13. spring — the season
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. craft — boats
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. current — happening now
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. perch — the fish
  22. tear — to rip
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. tear — from crying

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