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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: rule · rash · fork · kick · band · face · field · current

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. rash — hasty
  3. field — farmland
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. face — to point toward
  7. current — electric
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. current — of water
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. rash — a series
  12. band — a ring
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. rule — government
  15. field — a subject
  16. band — a music group
  17. rule — a law
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. field — for sport
  20. face — part of the head
  21. current — happening now
  22. kick — in football
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. face — to confront

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