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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: game · season · field · race · current · band · cabinet · branch

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. current — electric
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. race — a contest
  6. field — a subject
  7. season — of the year
  8. band — a ring
  9. race — humankind
  10. game — wild animals
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. season — in sport
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. band — a music group
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. field — for sport
  18. branch — a division
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. current — happening now
  22. race — the arms race
  23. current — of water
  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