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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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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. prune — to trim
  5. current — of water
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. field — for sport
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. current — happening now
  10. prune — to trim
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. field — farmland
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. rash — a series
  17. field — a subject
  18. rash — hasty
  19. staff — a stick
  20. staff — employees
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. staff — employees

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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