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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: lash · field · last · current · saw · ruler · jam · present

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. field — farmland
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. last — final
  7. current — of water
  8. field — for sport
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. present — a gift
  13. current — happening now
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. saw — the tool
  16. current — electric
  17. last — finally
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. present — there
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. present — the time now
  22. last — to go on
  23. field — a subject
  24. saw — the tool

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