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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. field — a subject
  5. saw — the tool
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. field — farmland
  8. rest — what's left
  9. chip — to eat
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. rest — a break
  12. rest — what's left
  13. current — of water
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. saw — the tool
  17. mine — for digging
  18. field — for sport
  19. chip — for betting
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. current — happening now
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. wax — to grow

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