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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 · cue · mate · rash · current · arm · wound · pound

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. mate — a friend
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. wound — an injury
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. cue — a signal
  8. mate — a partner
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. pound — a weight
  11. cue — for pool
  12. rash — a series
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. current — happening now
  16. rash — hasty
  17. current — electric
  18. mate — to breed
  19. cue — a hint
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. current — of water
  23. craft — a skill
  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