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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: face · rock · stick · march · wave · mouse · craft · current

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. current — of water
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. face — part of the head
  10. march — music
  11. rock — music
  12. current — electric
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. march — the month
  15. craft — boats
  16. current — happening now
  17. face — to confront
  18. craft — a skill
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. rock — a stone
  21. march — the month
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. mouse — the animal

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