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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.

Make a worksheet

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: mouse · lash · coach · row · cold · staff · craft · current

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. current — electric
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. row — to paddle
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. cold — not warm
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. staff — employees
  14. current — happening now
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. craft — boats
  17. cold — an illness
  18. current — of water
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. staff — a stick
  21. craft — a skill
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. row — a line
  24. staff — employees

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