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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: snap · band · fall · bowl · file · sharp · current · field

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. fall — to drop
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. file — a tool
  5. file — a line of people
  6. current — happening now
  7. fall — the season
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. sharp — clever
  12. field — for sport
  13. current — electric
  14. band — a ring
  15. file — a document
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. current — of water
  18. field — farmland
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. band — a music group
  21. fall — to drop
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. field — a subject
  24. snap — to click

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