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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: craft · nail · current · object · cold · mark · hide · rock

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. rock — music
  4. mark — a trace
  5. current — of water
  6. object — a thing
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. object — an aim
  9. craft — a skill
  10. craft — boats
  11. mark — a grade
  12. cold — an illness
  13. current — happening now
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. object — to protest
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. current — electric
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. rock — a stone
  23. cold — not warm
  24. nail — on a finger

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