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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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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: perch · hand · craft · current · net · object · fan · lean

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. object — a thing
  3. craft — boats
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. perch — the fish
  6. net — for catching
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. current — happening now
  10. lean — to bend
  11. craft — a skill
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. object — to protest
  14. net — in sport
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. net — after costs
  17. hand — in cards
  18. current — of water
  19. hand — help
  20. current — electric
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. object — an aim
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. hand — part of the body

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