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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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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: field · game · pound · ruler · rock · band · mark · cell

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. band — a music group
  3. field — a subject
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. mark — a grade
  6. band — a ring
  7. game — wild animals
  8. rock — music
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. game — a match
  11. cell — a phone
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. rock — a stone
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. cell — in biology
  19. field — farmland
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. pound — a weight
  22. field — for sport
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. pound — to hit hard

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