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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: tube · field · branch · track · dip · band · current · bat

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. track — a path
  3. dip — to sink
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. band — a ring
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. bat — the animal
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. current — of water
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. current — electric
  14. tube — a container
  15. branch — a division
  16. current — happening now
  17. track — to keep track
  18. field — a subject
  19. track — a song
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. tube — the underground
  22. band — a music group
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. field — for sport

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