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

Word bank: field · track · jam · kid · bound · temple · season · bank

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. field — farmland
  3. bound — certain
  4. field — for sport
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. track — a song
  7. kid — child
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. track — to keep track
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. bound — tied together
  13. bound — obliged
  14. track — a path
  15. season — in sport
  16. kid — to tease
  17. field — a subject
  18. bank — for money
  19. season — of the year
  20. bank — for money
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. bank — of a river

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