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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 120 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: current · squash · rock · lean · saw · march · bark · craft

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. rock — a stone
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. craft — a skill
  6. rock — music
  7. current — electric
  8. saw — the tool
  9. current — happening now
  10. squash — to crush
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. bark — to shout
  14. lean — thin
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. craft — boats
  18. saw — the tool
  19. current — of water
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. squash — the sport
  22. march — music
  23. march — the month
  24. lean — to bend

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