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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: board · current · prune · kick · field · nail · track · snap

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. field — a subject
  3. track — a song
  4. track — to keep track
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. prune — to trim
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. field — farmland
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. prune — to trim
  14. field — for sport
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. current — electric
  17. current — happening now
  18. current — of water
  19. kick — in football
  20. track — a path
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. board — to get on
  23. board — a committee
  24. kick — a thrill

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