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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.

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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: hand · field · spell · current · leaves · pitcher · pound · track

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. current — electric
  3. hand — in cards
  4. spell — magic
  5. hand — help
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. current — happening now
  9. track — to keep track
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. pound — a weight
  15. current — of water
  16. spell — a short time
  17. field — for sport
  18. spell — letters
  19. track — a path
  20. field — farmland
  21. track — a song
  22. field — a subject
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. leaves — to go away

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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