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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: present · ground · current · field · stem · band · pitcher · temple

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. present — a gift
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. field — farmland
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. current — happening now
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. ground — a position
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. field — a subject
  15. current — of water
  16. present — the time now
  17. field — for sport
  18. stem — to come from
  19. current — electric
  20. ground — crushed
  21. band — a ring
  22. ground — the earth
  23. present — there
  24. temple — side of the head

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