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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: sharp · date · mug · current · wind · field · can · ruler

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. current — of water
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. current — happening now
  5. mug — a cup
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. date — the fruit
  8. mug — a face
  9. wind — moving air
  10. current — electric
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. wind — moving air
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. can — to be able to
  19. sharp — clever
  20. field — for sport
  21. field — a subject
  22. mug — to rob
  23. can — a tin
  24. can — a tin

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