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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
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: clip · field · pop · object · foot · bat · current · staff

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. field — a subject
  3. pop — music
  4. field — farmland
  5. bat — the animal
  6. clip — a video
  7. current — electric
  8. clip — to cut
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. pop — to visit
  11. staff — employees
  12. staff — a stick
  13. object — an aim
  14. foot — a measure
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. object — to protest
  17. current — happening now
  18. field — for sport
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. clip — for paper
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. object — a thing
  23. staff — employees
  24. pop — soda

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