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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.

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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: last · bass · rest · current · plane · row · field · mouse

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. current — electric
  3. last — to go on
  4. last — final
  5. rest — a break
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. row — a line
  10. last — finally
  11. field — for sport
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. rest — what's left
  15. bass — low music
  16. plane — a tool
  17. row — to paddle
  18. field — farmland
  19. rest — what's left
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. current — happening now
  22. current — of water
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. field — a subject

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