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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: prune · craft · current · dip · field · pitcher · face · wake

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. dip — to sink
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. current — of water
  6. field — for sport
  7. face — to confront
  8. field — a subject
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. face — part of the head
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. current — electric
  13. prune — to trim
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. field — farmland
  17. prune — to trim
  18. craft — a skill
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. face — to point toward
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. wake — a trail
  24. current — happening now

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