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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. field — a subject
  3. bank — of a river
  4. spell — letters
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. current — happening now
  7. rock — a stone
  8. field — farmland
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. spell — magic
  11. rock — music
  12. field — for sport
  13. stand — to bear
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. spell — a short time
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. bank — for money
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. bank — for money
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. current — electric

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