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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 116 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: safe · wound · current · craft · bear · club · tear · mark

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. club — for dancing
  3. craft — boats
  4. mark — a trace
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. bear — the animal
  7. current — of water
  8. mark — a grade
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. tear — from crying
  11. wound — an injury
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. craft — a skill
  14. club — for golf
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. wound — an injury
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. tear — from crying
  21. bear — the animal
  22. tear — to rip
  23. current — happening now
  24. club — a group

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