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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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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 · chip · roll · lash · stand · current · bowl · tear

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. roll — a cake
  3. current — electric
  4. tear — to rip
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. tear — from crying
  7. stand — to bear
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. chip — for betting
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. field — farmland
  14. roll — a list
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. chip — to eat
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. field — a subject
  19. field — for sport
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. current — happening now
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. current — of water
  24. bowl — a dish

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