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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.

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: squash · pop · straw · mate · snap · date · current · field

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. current — electric
  4. pop — soda
  5. current — of water
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. field — for sport
  8. pop — music
  9. mate — a partner
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. squash — to crush
  12. pop — to visit
  13. snap — to click
  14. mate — a friend
  15. squash — the sport
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. current — happening now
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. date — the fruit
  22. mate — to breed
  23. field — farmland
  24. date — on the calendar

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