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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: firm · wake · kick · object · field · current · spring · rash

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. object — a thing
  4. object — to protest
  5. field — farmland
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. current — happening now
  8. kick — in football
  9. firm — steady
  10. wake — a trail
  11. object — an aim
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. current — electric
  14. field — for sport
  15. spring — of water
  16. rash — hasty
  17. field — a subject
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. firm — decided
  20. spring — a coil
  21. rash — a series
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. firm — a company
  24. current — of water

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