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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: bulb · court · stand · staff · mark · cabinet · field · band

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. staff — employees
  4. band — a music group
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. band — a ring
  9. field — a subject
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. court — for sport
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bulb — for light
  14. staff — a stick
  15. court — of law
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. mark — a trace
  18. staff — employees
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. field — farmland
  21. stand — to bear
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. field — for sport
  24. court — of a king

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