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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: saw · shower · wake · chair · craft · stock · current · rash

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. current — electric
  4. current — happening now
  5. shower — rain
  6. stock — shares
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. saw — the tool
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. rash — a series
  13. chair — a leader
  14. stock — goods
  15. craft — a skill
  16. shower — to wash
  17. rash — hasty
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. current — of water
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. wake — a trail
  23. craft — boats
  24. chair — to sit on

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