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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: band · field · current · tear · chip · prune · bark · saw

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. chip — for betting
  3. saw — the tool
  4. band — a music group
  5. bark — to shout
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. field — for sport
  8. band — a ring
  9. current — of water
  10. field — a subject
  11. tear — to rip
  12. prune — to trim
  13. current — happening now
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — from crying
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. chip — to eat
  20. saw — the tool
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. prune — to trim
  24. current — electric

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