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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: pass · current · roll · wake · field · plane · date · wound

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. date — the fruit
  3. current — of water
  4. roll — a cake
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wake — a trail
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. roll — a list
  10. plane — a tool
  11. pass — a permit
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. field — farmland
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. current — happening now
  18. field — a subject
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. current — electric
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. wound — an injury

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