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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. current — happening now
  3. field — a subject
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. wax — to grow
  6. can — a tin
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. field — for sport
  9. field — farmland
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. can — a tin
  15. current — electric
  16. pass — a permit
  17. bound — tied together
  18. bound — certain
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. bat — the animal
  21. can — to be able to
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. bound — obliged

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