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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. face — to point toward
  3. cue — a signal
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. spell — a short time
  6. cue — a hint
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. spell — magic
  9. band — a ring
  10. face — part of the head
  11. current — happening now
  12. band — a music group
  13. face — to confront
  14. current — of water
  15. field — farmland
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. cue — for pool
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. current — electric
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. field — for sport
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. spell — letters

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