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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. field — farmland
  4. press — newspapers
  5. spell — magic
  6. tear — to rip
  7. field — a subject
  8. spell — a short time
  9. tear — from crying
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. press — to push
  12. current — electric
  13. field — for sport
  14. fork — in a road
  15. press — a publisher
  16. current — of water
  17. spell — letters
  18. tear — from crying

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