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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 · jam · last · craft · pound · dip · current · bat

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. bat — the animal
  3. tear — from crying
  4. last — to go on
  5. craft — boats
  6. tear — from crying
  7. current — happening now
  8. last — finally
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. craft — a skill
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. current — of water
  16. dip — to sink
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. last — final
  20. pound — a weight
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. current — electric
  24. tear — to rip

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