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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 116 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: band · mate · can · spring · mark · key · field · pitcher

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. mate — a partner
  3. field — for sport
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. band — a ring
  6. mate — to breed
  7. mark — a trace
  8. key — the most important part
  9. can — to be able to
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. field — farmland
  12. spring — of water
  13. spring — a coil
  14. mark — a grade
  15. key — for a lock
  16. mate — a friend
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. can — a tin
  20. band — a music group
  21. field — a subject
  22. key — in music
  23. spring — the season
  24. can — a tin

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