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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: shower · field · roll · season · bulb · band · pass · current

  1. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. current — happening now
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. season — in sport
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. pass — a permit
  8. current — of water
  9. roll — a cake
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. bulb — for light
  13. shower — rain
  14. field — for sport
  15. field — farmland
  16. field — a subject
  17. shower — to wash
  18. bulb — for light
  19. current — electric
  20. band — a ring
  21. roll — a list
  22. season — of the year
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. band — a music group

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