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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: ball · wake · band · club · current · fan · bore · field

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. field — farmland
  3. club — for golf
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. field — a subject
  6. current — electric
  7. band — a ring
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. field — for sport
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. club — for dancing
  13. ball — a dance
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. band — a music group
  17. bore — to tire
  18. current — of water
  19. wake — a trail
  20. ball — a great time
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. bore — to drill
  24. club — a group

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