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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: current · mark · bear · rest · band · field · arm · march

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. current — of water
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. mark — a trace
  7. mark — a grade
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. rest — a break
  10. march — the month
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. field — a subject
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. current — happening now
  15. march — the month
  16. band — a music group
  17. field — for sport
  18. field — farmland
  19. current — electric
  20. bear — the animal
  21. rest — what's left
  22. bear — the animal
  23. march — music
  24. band — a ring

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