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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
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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: stick · rock · press · cell · current · jam · roll · field

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. field — farmland
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. current — of water
  7. press — to push
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. cell — in biology
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. cell — a phone
  16. current — happening now
  17. roll — a cake
  18. rock — music
  19. field — for sport
  20. rock — a stone
  21. current — electric
  22. press — a publisher
  23. roll — a list
  24. press — newspapers

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