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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: root · field · band · capital · current · pound

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. band — a music group
  4. root — of a plant
  5. capital — money
  6. root — of a word
  7. field — for sport
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. field — farmland
  11. band — a ring
  12. capital — a city
  13. current — of water
  14. pound — a weight
  15. current — electric
  16. field — a subject
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. root — the cause

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