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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: ground · current · plane · wake · field · bore · lie · cap

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. ground — a position
  3. current — electric
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. wake — a trail
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. lie — to recline
  9. bore — to drill
  10. field — a subject
  11. ground — crushed
  12. plane — a tool
  13. field — for sport
  14. current — happening now
  15. bore — to tire
  16. field — farmland
  17. cap — a hat
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. cap — a lid
  23. ground — the earth
  24. current — of water

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