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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: ground · track · cold · band · branch · safe · field · jam

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. branch — a division
  3. ground — the earth
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. field — farmland
  7. ground — a position
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. band — a ring
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. field — for sport
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. cold — an illness
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. field — a subject
  19. cold — not warm
  20. band — a music group
  21. track — a song
  22. track — to keep track
  23. ground — crushed
  24. track — a path

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