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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.

Make a worksheet

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 · object · bore · cell · field · key · wave · rash

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. field — for sport
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. object — an aim
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. cell — in biology
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. current — of water
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. field — farmland
  12. cell — a phone
  13. rash — hasty
  14. bore — to drill
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. bore — to tire
  17. key — for a lock
  18. key — in music
  19. current — happening now
  20. rash — a series
  21. key — the most important part
  22. object — a thing
  23. current — electric
  24. object — to protest

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