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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: field · mouse · sharp · cold · bank · ground · craft · current

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. cold — an illness
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. ground — a position
  6. cold — not warm
  7. craft — a skill
  8. ground — crushed
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. bank — for money
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. craft — boats
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. field — for sport
  15. bank — of a river
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. current — of water
  18. current — happening now
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. field — farmland
  21. sharp — clever
  22. field — a subject
  23. current — electric
  24. ground — the earth

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