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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: pop · plane · mark · field · wave · kick · last · current

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. field — for sport
  4. last — final
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. field — farmland
  7. pop — soda
  8. current — happening now
  9. last — finally
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. mark — a grade
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. current — electric
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. current — of water
  16. pop — music
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. last — to go on
  20. pop — to visit
  21. field — a subject
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. mark — a trace
  24. plane — a tool

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