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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 116 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: staff · plane · cap · field · firm · band · track · race

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. firm — decided
  3. field — farmland
  4. firm — a company
  5. track — a path
  6. field — for sport
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. race — a contest
  9. track — a song
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. race — humankind
  12. cap — of ice
  13. cap — a lid
  14. band — a ring
  15. plane — a tool
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. staff — employees
  18. staff — a stick
  19. staff — employees
  20. track — to keep track
  21. band — a music group
  22. field — a subject
  23. race — the arms race
  24. firm — steady

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