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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: land · snap · wave · craft · leaves · prune · bark · current

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. land — to come down
  4. craft — boats
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. current — happening now
  7. current — electric
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. current — of water
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. land — ground
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. prune — to trim
  15. bark — to shout
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. land — a country
  23. snap — to click
  24. craft — a skill

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