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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: band · date · leaves · field · wound · cue · present · race

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. date — the fruit
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. present — there
  5. race — the arms race
  6. race — a contest
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. wound — an injury
  10. present — the time now
  11. field — a subject
  12. cue — a signal
  13. race — humankind
  14. cue — a hint
  15. wound — an injury
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. band — a music group
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. field — farmland
  22. present — a gift
  23. band — a ring
  24. cue — for pool

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