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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: field · rash · current · mug · bass · fine · can · fork

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. fine — all right
  4. bass — low music
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. current — happening now
  7. mug — a face
  8. fine — high quality
  9. bass — the fish
  10. mug — to rob
  11. can — a tin
  12. fork — in a road
  13. rash — a series
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. can — to be able to
  16. field — a subject
  17. field — farmland
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. mug — a cup
  21. field — for sport
  22. rash — hasty
  23. can — a tin
  24. current — electric

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