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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. field — farmland
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. current — happening now
  8. spell — letters
  9. current — electric
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. field — for sport
  12. spell — magic
  13. current — of water
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. pound — a weight
  16. foot — a measure
  17. court — of a king
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. band — a music group
  20. spell — a short time
  21. field — a subject
  22. band — a ring
  23. court — of law
  24. court — 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