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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: shower · bulb · field · current · nail · content · branch · foot

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. field — for sport
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. current — electric
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. branch — a division
  10. current — of water
  11. bulb — for light
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. foot — a measure
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. current — happening now
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. content — happy
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. field — farmland
  21. shower — rain
  22. content — the amount
  23. bulb — for light
  24. shower — to wash

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