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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: stick · season · wake · fine · field · current · bark · ground

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. wake — a trail
  3. current — of water
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. current — happening now
  6. current — electric
  7. field — farmland
  8. field — a subject
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. ground — the earth
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. ground — a position
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. bark — to shout
  16. field — for sport
  17. fine — high quality
  18. season — in sport
  19. season — of the year
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. ground — crushed
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. fine — a penalty

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