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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 · mouse · field · mark · land · ground · root · rush

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. field — a subject
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. ground — crushed
  7. ground — the earth
  8. land — a country
  9. land — ground
  10. ground — a position
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. field — for sport
  13. root — of a word
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. field — farmland
  16. land — to come down
  17. root — of a plant
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. mark — a trace
  20. rush — hurry
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. root — the cause
  24. mark — a grade

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