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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 120 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: current · saw · hand · lash · club · mug · mine · field

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. club — for golf
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mine — for digging
  6. club — for dancing
  7. field — a subject
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. mug — a cup
  11. club — a group
  12. current — of water
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. field — farmland
  15. field — for sport
  16. saw — the tool
  17. mug — to rob
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. hand — in cards
  20. hand — help
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. mug — a face
  23. current — electric
  24. hand — part of the body

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