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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: cap · field · object · bat · spell · current · bear · arm

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  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. spell — magic
  2. cap — of ice
  3. field — farmland
  4. field — a subject
  5. bear — the animal
  6. current — happening now
  7. bat — the animal
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. field — for sport
  12. object — to protest
  13. spell — a short time
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. spell — letters
  16. current — electric
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. bear — the animal
  20. cap — a lid
  21. object — an aim
  22. cap — a hat
  23. object — a thing
  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