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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: net · charge · bore · current · craft · saw · snap · file

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. charge — a price
  3. current — electric
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. file — a tool
  6. net — for catching
  7. saw — the tool
  8. file — a line of people
  9. bore — to tire
  10. snap — to click
  11. net — after costs
  12. charge — in control
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. file — a document
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. current — of water
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. current — happening now
  19. craft — boats
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. charge — electricity
  22. craft — a skill
  23. bore — to drill
  24. saw — the tool

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