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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: fall · board · field · root · wake · last · current · mug

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. board — a committee
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. last — final
  5. last — to go on
  6. current — of water
  7. root — of a word
  8. fall — the season
  9. mug — a cup
  10. mug — a face
  11. field — farmland
  12. current — electric
  13. mug — to rob
  14. current — happening now
  15. board — to get on
  16. root — of a plant
  17. last — finally
  18. wake — a trail
  19. root — the cause
  20. fall — to drop
  21. field — for sport
  22. fall — to drop
  23. field — a subject
  24. board — a flat piece

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