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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.

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: field · stick · spring · straw · game · current · chip · bark

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. field — a subject
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. spring — the season
  6. chip — for betting
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. current — electric
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. spring — of water
  12. bark — to shout
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. game — a match
  16. spring — a coil
  17. field — for sport
  18. current — happening now
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. game — wild animals
  21. chip — to eat
  22. current — of water
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. straw — dry grass

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