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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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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: field · dip · band · prune · jam · roll · track · current

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  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. track — to keep track
  2. current — happening now
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. prune — to trim
  6. track — a song
  7. band — a ring
  8. roll — a list
  9. current — of water
  10. prune — to trim
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. field — farmland
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. dip — to sink
  16. current — electric
  17. field — a subject
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. track — a path
  20. roll — a cake
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. field — for sport
  23. dip — a sauce
  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