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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 120 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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. cue — a signal
  3. season — of the year
  4. field — a subject
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. last — to go on
  7. cue — for pool
  8. band — a music group
  9. last — final
  10. last — finally
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. bank — of a river
  13. bank — for money
  14. cue — a hint
  15. band — a ring
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. field — farmland
  19. season — in sport
  20. bank — for money
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. stand — to bear
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. stand — on your feet

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