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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: rock · field · track · perch · staff · season · band · fine

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. staff — employees
  3. track — a path
  4. fine — all right
  5. field — for sport
  6. staff — a stick
  7. rock — a stone
  8. band — a ring
  9. season — of the year
  10. field — a subject
  11. track — to keep track
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. perch — the fish
  14. fine — high quality
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. track — a song
  17. band — a music group
  18. staff — employees
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. season — in sport
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. rock — music
  24. rock — to move gently

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