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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: wind · straw · current · craft · band · dip · board · file

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. file — a document
  3. band — a ring
  4. board — to get on
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. current — of water
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. file — a line of people
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. file — a tool
  11. band — a music group
  12. dip — to sink
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. board — a committee
  16. current — happening now
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. wind — moving air
  20. current — electric
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. craft — boats
  24. wind — moving air

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