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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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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: bay · wound · chair · current · craft · stem · key · chip

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. chip — to eat
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. current — electric
  5. craft — a skill
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. chair — a leader
  8. key — in music
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. current — happening now
  11. wound — an injury
  12. current — of water
  13. key — the most important part
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. key — for a lock
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. stem — to come from
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. wound — an injury
  21. craft — boats
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. chip — for betting

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