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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: bowl · wave · face · craft · current · rock · content · last

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. face — to confront
  3. last — to go on
  4. face — to point toward
  5. current — of water
  6. content — happy
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. current — electric
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. content — the amount
  12. last — final
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. current — happening now
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. craft — boats
  19. face — part of the head
  20. craft — a skill
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. last — finally
  24. rock — a stone

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