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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: staff · net · chest · field · band · bowl · rush · temple

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. staff — employees
  3. field — for sport
  4. chest — of your body
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. net — after costs
  8. rush — hurry
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. staff — employees
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. band — a ring
  13. chest — a box
  14. field — a subject
  15. chest — of your body
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. net — in sport
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. net — for catching
  22. band — a music group
  23. staff — a stick
  24. bowl — to roll

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