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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. shower — to wash
  3. bank — for money
  4. bank — of a river
  5. current — of water
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. current — happening now
  9. bank — for money
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. field — a subject
  12. track — a song
  13. track — a path
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. field — for sport
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. fall — to drop
  18. shower — rain
  19. track — to keep track
  20. current — electric
  21. fall — to drop
  22. field — farmland
  23. fall — the season
  24. mine — for digging

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