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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: craft · current · hand · vault · wake · ground · straw · hide

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. craft — a skill
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. ground — crushed
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. current — happening now
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. hand — in cards
  12. hand — help
  13. craft — boats
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. current — electric
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. vault — a safe
  18. wake — a trail
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. ground — the earth
  23. ground — a position
  24. wake — before a funeral

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