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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rash · coach · field · spell · current · chair · mine · fall

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. current — electric
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. field — for sport
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. rash — a series
  7. spell — magic
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. field — a subject
  10. fall — to drop
  11. spell — letters
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. spell — a short time
  14. field — farmland
  15. current — happening now
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. chair — a leader
  18. fall — to drop
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. rash — hasty
  21. mine — for digging
  22. fall — the season
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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