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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: bank · current · field · band · mouse · roll · staff · patient

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. field — for sport
  4. band — a ring
  5. bank — of a river
  6. staff — a stick
  7. band — a music group
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. field — a subject
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. field — farmland
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. current — happening now
  18. current — electric
  19. roll — a list
  20. staff — employees
  21. roll — a cake
  22. staff — employees
  23. bank — for money
  24. current — of water

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