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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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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: current · trunk · rest · bowl · capital · bay · stick · field

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. current — of water
  5. field — farmland
  6. rest — a break
  7. rest — what's left
  8. capital — a city
  9. field — for sport
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. field — a subject
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. rest — what's left
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. capital — money
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. current — happening now

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