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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. bank — for money
  4. field — farmland
  5. plane — a tool
  6. field — for sport
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. current — happening now
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. current — of water
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. field — a subject
  15. bank — of a river
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. current — electric
  18. bank — for money

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