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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: plane · tear · craft · club · safe · current · bear · staff

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. club — for dancing
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bear — the animal
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. plane — a tool
  7. staff — a stick
  8. current — happening now
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. club — for golf
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. tear — from crying
  13. staff — employees
  14. club — a group
  15. staff — employees
  16. current — electric
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. tear — to rip
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. current — of water
  21. craft — a skill
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. tear — from crying

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