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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 116 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: field · rest · object · straw · club · present · current · wax

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. current — electric
  3. field — farmland
  4. current — happening now
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. club — a group
  7. object — to protest
  8. field — a subject
  9. present — a gift
  10. rest — what's left
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. wax — to grow
  14. object — a thing
  15. rest — a break
  16. present — the time now
  17. club — for golf
  18. object — an aim
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. present — there
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. rest — what's left
  23. club — for dancing
  24. field — for sport

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