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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: craft · current · lash · leaves · net · shower · land · trunk

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. current — of water
  3. net — for catching
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. net — after costs
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. shower — rain
  8. shower — to wash
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. net — in sport
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. land — to come down
  13. current — electric
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. craft — boats
  16. craft — a skill
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. current — happening now
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. land — ground

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