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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: wave · pop · race · face · dip · current · fan · field

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. face — part of the head
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. face — to point toward
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. current — happening now
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. pop — music
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. race — humankind
  11. field — for sport
  12. race — a contest
  13. face — to confront
  14. pop — to visit
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. dip — to sink
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. current — of water
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. pop — soda
  21. field — a subject
  22. race — the arms race
  23. field — farmland
  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