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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 · mine · current · arm · wave · mark · chair · cold

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. cold — not warm
  3. current — happening now
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. mark — a grade
  8. mark — a trace
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. mine — for digging
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. craft — a skill
  15. chair — a leader
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. current — electric
  18. current — of water
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. cold — an illness
  24. craft — boats

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