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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.

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: current · fork · track · chair · squash · wave · wound · hide

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. current — electric
  4. fork — in a road
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. chair — a leader
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. current — happening now
  9. track — a song
  10. track — a path
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. current — of water
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. squash — to crush
  22. squash — the sport
  23. track — to keep track
  24. hide — animal skin

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