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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. current — of water
  3. rest — what's left
  4. current — happening now
  5. present — there
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. root — the cause
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. field — a subject
  11. rest — a break
  12. rest — what's left
  13. field — farmland
  14. field — for sport
  15. root — of a plant
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. root — of a word
  20. present — the time now
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. present — a gift
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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