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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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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: safe · kid · root · march · cold · bank · current · field

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. root — the cause
  3. bank — for money
  4. march — the month
  5. march — the month
  6. root — of a plant
  7. kid — to tease
  8. current — happening now
  9. field — farmland
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. root — of a word
  12. kid — child
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. current — electric
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. cold — not warm
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. field — for sport
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. current — of water
  21. field — a subject
  22. bank — of a river
  23. bank — for money
  24. cold — an illness

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