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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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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: band · pit · field · snap · perch · current · ruler · patient

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. current — happening now
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. pit — a hole
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. band — a ring
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. snap — to click
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. current — electric
  15. band — a music group
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. field — for sport
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. current — of water
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. field — a subject
  23. pit — in a race
  24. perch — the fish

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