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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: spring · fork · content · craft · pitcher · current · row · wave

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. content — the amount
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. current — of water
  5. spring — the season
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. row — to paddle
  13. spring — of water
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. current — electric
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. craft — a skill
  18. craft — boats
  19. current — happening now
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. spring — a coil
  22. fork — in a road
  23. row — a line
  24. content — happy

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