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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: hide · bear · fork · field · mug · can · suit · current

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  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 — happening now
  2. can — a tin
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. field — a subject
  8. field — farmland
  9. bear — the animal
  10. mug — to rob
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. can — to be able to
  13. suit — to fit
  14. fork — in a road
  15. mug — a cup
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. field — for sport
  18. bear — the animal
  19. can — a tin
  20. suit — clothes
  21. suit — in cards
  22. mug — a face
  23. current — of water
  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