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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: ruler · bay · stem · cell · current · jam · band · field

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. field — for sport
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. cell — in biology
  5. current — of water
  6. field — farmland
  7. current — electric
  8. band — a music group
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. cell — a phone
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. current — happening now
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. band — a ring
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. stem — to come from
  23. field — a subject
  24. stem — of a plant

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