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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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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 · mark · bear · rest · band · field

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. current — of water
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. mark — a grade
  5. band — a ring
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. field — for sport
  8. band — a music group
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. bear — the animal
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rest — a break
  13. current — happening now
  14. field — farmland
  15. bear — the animal
  16. mark — a trace
  17. field — a subject
  18. rest — what's left

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