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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 · mark · current · jam · rash · scale · saw · stick

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. field — farmland
  3. current — of water
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. mark — a trace
  7. scale — in music
  8. rash — hasty
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. current — electric
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. saw — the tool
  13. scale — size or range
  14. saw — the tool
  15. field — for sport
  16. current — happening now
  17. mark — a grade
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. rash — a series
  21. field — a subject
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. jam — a tight spot

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