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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: current · march · net · field · wind · dip · season · file

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. march — the month
  3. field — a subject
  4. wind — moving air
  5. file — a line of people
  6. field — for sport
  7. season — in sport
  8. march — music
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. current — happening now
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. season — of the year
  13. current — electric
  14. current — of water
  15. wind — moving air
  16. march — the month
  17. net — for catching
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. net — after costs
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. dip — to sink
  22. file — a tool
  23. field — farmland
  24. net — in sport

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