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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: bound · current · shower · track · field · temple · bat · stand

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. field — a subject
  3. field — for sport
  4. shower — to wash
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. track — to keep track
  8. shower — rain
  9. bound — obliged
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. track — a song
  12. current — electric
  13. track — a path
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. bound — certain
  17. current — of water
  18. bat — the animal
  19. field — farmland
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. current — happening now
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. stand — to bear
  24. bound — tied together

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