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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 124 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fork · last · field · rush · current · club · land · cell

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. current — happening now
  3. current — electric
  4. club — for dancing
  5. last — finally
  6. field — for sport
  7. current — of water
  8. field — farmland
  9. field — a subject
  10. cell — in biology
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. last — final
  13. fork — in a road
  14. land — ground
  15. rush — hurry
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. land — a country
  20. cell — a phone
  21. land — to come down
  22. club — for golf
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. last — to go on

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