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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 116 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: current · field · present · snap · sharp · trunk · wax · coach

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. field — farmland
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. present — a gift
  5. wax — to grow
  6. current — of water
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. current — happening now
  11. present — there
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. field — for sport
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. field — a subject
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. sharp — clever
  22. snap — to click
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. current — electric

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