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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: bank · field · wake · band · wave · race · ruler · root

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. bank — of a river
  3. band — a ring
  4. bank — for money
  5. wake — a trail
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. bank — for money
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. band — a music group
  12. field — a subject
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. race — the arms race
  16. root — of a plant
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. root — of a word
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. field — for sport
  21. race — humankind
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. root — the cause
  24. race — a contest

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