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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: toast · drill · cap · field · band · jam · mine · pop

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. drill — a practice
  3. drill — the tool
  4. cap — a hat
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. pop — music
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. band — a ring
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. cap — a lid
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. field — for sport
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. pop — to visit
  16. pop — soda
  17. cap — of ice
  18. mine — for digging
  19. band — a music group
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. toast — bread
  22. drill — army training
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. field — farmland

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