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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: field · cap · kick · calf · wake · current · date · season

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. current — electric
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. wake — a trail
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. field — for sport
  8. cap — a lid
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. current — of water
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. cap — a hat
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. season — of the year
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. kick — in football
  18. date — the fruit
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. field — farmland
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. current — happening now
  23. cap — of ice
  24. season — 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