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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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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: club · staff · field · fine · band · jam · cold · fall

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. field — for sport
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. fine — all right
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. field — a subject
  7. fall — to drop
  8. club — for golf
  9. band — a music group
  10. staff — a stick
  11. staff — employees
  12. staff — employees
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. cold — an illness
  16. fall — to drop
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. field — farmland
  19. band — a ring
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. fine — high quality
  22. club — for dancing
  23. fall — the season
  24. cold — not warm

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