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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: stand · squash · plane · band · track · net · field · chip

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. field — for sport
  3. track — a song
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. track — to keep track
  6. field — a subject
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. track — a path
  11. squash — the sport
  12. plane — a tool
  13. net — after costs
  14. band — a ring
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. band — a music group
  17. stand — to bear
  18. chip — for betting
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. squash — to crush
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. net — in sport
  23. net — for catching
  24. chip — to eat

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