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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: field · current · land · rock · spell · mine · object · drill

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. land — ground
  3. spell — a short time
  4. rock — a stone
  5. land — to come down
  6. land — a country
  7. object — to protest
  8. drill — the tool
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. drill — army training
  11. field — for sport
  12. object — a thing
  13. current — happening now
  14. object — an aim
  15. spell — magic
  16. current — electric
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. rock — music
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. field — farmland
  21. field — a subject
  22. mine — for digging
  23. current — of water
  24. spell — letters

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