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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: field · bound · game · shower · lean · track · temple · prune

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. field — farmland
  4. field — for sport
  5. bound — certain
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. lean — to bend
  8. prune — to trim
  9. track — to keep track
  10. lean — thin
  11. game — wild animals
  12. shower — rain
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. game — a match
  17. shower — to wash
  18. bound — tied together
  19. bound — obliged
  20. field — a subject
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. prune — to trim
  23. track — a song
  24. temple — side of the head

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