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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: craft · foot · saw · current · chest · wake · ground · last

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. ground — the earth
  3. chest — of your body
  4. saw — the tool
  5. chest — of your body
  6. wake — a trail
  7. current — happening now
  8. last — finally
  9. current — of water
  10. current — electric
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. saw — the tool
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. craft — a skill
  16. foot — a measure
  17. last — to go on
  18. craft — boats
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. chest — a box
  23. last — final
  24. ground — a position

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