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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.

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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: current · ruler · fan · field · fork · content · rule · wake

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. field — farmland
  3. fork — in a road
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. current — of water
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. rule — government
  9. current — electric
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. rule — a law
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. content — the amount
  14. wake — a trail
  15. content — happy
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. current — happening now
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. field — a subject
  24. field — for 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