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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 120 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: root · track · arm · craft · current · cold · bear · pitcher

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. craft — boats
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. craft — a skill
  6. track — a song
  7. cold — an illness
  8. bear — the animal
  9. root — of a word
  10. track — to keep track
  11. track — a path
  12. cold — not warm
  13. root — the cause
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. current — of water
  16. root — of a plant
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. bear — the animal
  22. current — happening now
  23. current — electric
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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