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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 · file · bark · spell · temple · pitcher · swing · row

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. file — a line of people
  4. swing — music
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. swing — to play on
  8. field — for sport
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. swing — in golf
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. spell — a short time
  13. row — to paddle
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. spell — magic
  17. bark — to shout
  18. file — a document
  19. field — farmland
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. field — a subject
  22. file — a tool
  23. spell — letters
  24. temple — a place of worship

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