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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. toast — bread
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. tear — to rip
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. band — a ring
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. field — farmland
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bank — for money
  14. bank — for money
  15. tear — from crying
  16. bank — of a river
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. craft — a skill
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. craft — boats
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. field — a subject
  24. field — for sport

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