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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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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: fork · kick · band · craft · cell · stand · cold · current

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. current — happening now
  3. cell — in biology
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. cold — not warm
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. stand — to bear
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. kick — in football
  10. craft — a skill
  11. current — of water
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. band — a music group
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. fork — in a road
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. craft — boats
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. cold — an illness
  22. band — a ring
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. current — electric

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