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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  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. band — a music group
  2. current — of water
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. current — electric
  6. current — happening now
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. field — for sport
  10. club — for dancing
  11. field — farmland
  12. scale — in music
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. vault — a safe
  17. club — a group
  18. band — a ring
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. club — for golf
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. scale — size or range
  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