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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. march — the month
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. field — a subject
  5. hand — in cards
  6. rock — a stone
  7. field — for sport
  8. march — the month
  9. pound — a weight
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. cap — a lid
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. current — electric
  14. cap — of ice
  15. cap — a hat
  16. hand — help
  17. march — music
  18. current — happening now
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. field — farmland
  22. rock — music
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. rock — to move gently

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