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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: scale · lash · band · date · net · field · current · rest

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. band — a music group
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. scale — size or range
  7. scale — in music
  8. rest — what's left
  9. field — farmland
  10. net — in sport
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. net — for catching
  13. current — electric
  14. rest — what's left
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. current — happening now
  17. date — the fruit
  18. current — of water
  19. field — for sport
  20. rest — a break
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. field — a subject
  23. band — a ring
  24. net — after costs

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