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

Word bank: pit · wax · current · roll · field · band · club · bore

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. club — a group
  3. band — a ring
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. roll — a list
  6. current — happening now
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. club — for golf
  9. pit — in a race
  10. current — electric
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. band — a music group
  13. pit — a hole
  14. wax — to grow
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. field — a subject
  19. roll — a cake
  20. field — for sport
  21. bore — to tire
  22. club — for dancing
  23. current — of water
  24. bore — to drill

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