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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

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: wake · field · current · cabinet · lash · mouse · object · racket

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. wake — a trail
  3. field — a subject
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. object — to protest
  9. field — farmland
  10. field — for sport
  11. object — an aim
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. object — a thing
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. current — electric
  21. current — happening now
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. current — of water
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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