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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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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  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. field — a subject
  2. current — of water
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. field — for sport
  6. bark — to shout
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. track — a path
  9. track — a song
  10. cue — for pool
  11. mark — a trace
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. current — electric
  14. track — to keep track
  15. mark — a grade
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bound — tied together
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. bound — certain
  20. cue — a signal
  21. cue — a hint
  22. bound — obliged
  23. field — farmland
  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