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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. fall — to drop
  3. track — to keep track
  4. current — of water
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rest — a break
  7. mine — for digging
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. fall — the season
  10. fall — to drop
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. field — for sport
  14. current — happening now
  15. track — a path
  16. craft — boats
  17. track — a song
  18. current — electric
  19. rest — what's left
  20. field — farmland
  21. craft — a skill
  22. field — a subject
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. craft — a handicraft

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