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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. field — farmland
  3. object — a thing
  4. rash — a series
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. mug — to rob
  7. bear — the animal
  8. field — for sport
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. object — to protest
  12. mug — a face
  13. object — an aim
  14. mug — a cup
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. rash — hasty
  18. bear — the animal
  19. field — a subject
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. current — happening now
  22. current — of water
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. straw — a straw man

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