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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: current · pass · straw · tear · field · hand · pit · temple

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. current — happening now
  3. pit — a hole
  4. field — a subject
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — to rip
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. hand — help
  11. hand — in cards
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. pit — in a race
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. current — of water
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. current — electric
  19. field — for sport
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. tear — from crying
  23. pass — a permit
  24. field — farmland

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