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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: temple · toast · stock · drill · fork · land · bear · field

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. bear — the animal
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. field — for sport
  6. land — a country
  7. field — a subject
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. stock — shares
  11. toast — bread
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. land — ground
  15. field — farmland
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. drill — a practice
  18. land — to come down
  19. fork — in a road
  20. bear — the animal
  21. drill — the tool
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. stock — goods

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